Saving Grace
by Surf-kat2
Summary: Celeste was the Capital's Darling. She was their baby. Sister of a victor, she was practically a victor herself. She knows she's going in. She's been training for the Games her whole life, so when she is reaped for the 74th Hunger Games, it's not entirely shocking. She knows what to do, but why can't she get a certain blue eyed, blonde haired victor out of her head? Cato/OC
1. The Reaping

****I've had this idea for a while, but I've decided to put it down on paper now, so please review and tell me what you think so far! Thanks so much!****

_Chapter 1: The Reaping_

"Celeste Greenwich," Was I surprised? No. Was I sad? Yes. Was I terrified? Surprisingly no. Was I angry? Hell yes. Maybe anger is the wrong word to use in this situation. I wanted to slowly boil President Snow in a bath of hot oil and then rip out his intestines and carve my family name into his back and hang him up for all of Panem to see. Instead, I looked up and smirked as the camera landed on my face and the screens behind Secci changed from Panem's insignia to my smug features. There was a collective gasp from the audience, and I met their shocked and scared looks with a sardonic smile and a wave as I stepped out into the isle that separates the 12-18 year old boys from the 12-18 year old girls. A few people actually started choking out sobs and holding in wails; I wasn't one of those people. I was done playing Snow's game, and I was done being an innocent little girl who needs people to defend her.

On a whim, I blew kisses to the camera and to the crowd of District 10; ironically, District 10 isn't even my real district, not that I had one to begin with. I was practically a victor already due to spending most of my childhood in the capital with the actual victors, who I would call my family, if I could really call anyone my family at this point. My sister had been a victor; she had been chosen much like I was being chosen now. The bowl full of names caught my eye, and I refused to let any of my rage and sadness show in my eyes or on my face.

Celeste Greenwich. That was what the slip of paper that Secci held in her trembling fingers read; of course, every other slip of paper in that glass bowl would have read Celeste Greenwich as well. Just like every slip of paper had read Melody Greenwhich when my sister was reaped for the 53rd, but this isn't the 53rd Hunger Games; this is the 74th, and I'm not Melody. I'm Celeste, and I don't have a family waiting for me when I survive the Games, if I survive the Games. I'm alone. Those Games. The Capital. Snow. They took everything from me. Now it's time for me to return the favor.

I reached the stage and ascended the steps with my chin up and a look like I was above the peacekeepers and the Capital and Snow and the Games, but when I turned around I met the gaze of the people with respect and defiance battling in my eyes. Then, I touched my forehead lightly with three fingers, then my chest and then my lips before holding my hand out to the people. The gesture was a symbol of respect among the people in any district; the forehead represented the mind, the chest represented the body, the lips represented the soul. Traditionally, the person you were extending the courtesy too repeated the gesture, but I didn't really expect anyone to.

Three girls and four boys did. I knew all of them. I'd been sent to 10 two months ago and given a house in the Victor's village and some money. I'd gone to school; they farm in this district. Their job is to raise the livestock, so it was a bit interesting considering I've lived in almost every other district. I knew I was going to get reaped, so I didn't attempt to make any friends and, in fact, attempted to push them away, but it happened anyways. Two of the three girls were crying, not lightly either, Robin and Serena, but the other one, Rose was standing tall, saluting me with a determination and assurance in her eyes that made me stronger. None of the boys were crying, though they looked dismayed and terrified; all of my friends had tried to convince me I wouldn't be reaped. My eyes skimmed over Birch, Avon, and Richie to land on Jack's fearful, angry chocolate orbs. I slowly lowered my arm, and they followed suit after a moment.

"Alright," Secci couched uncomfortably; I just gazed at her with what I hoped were cold and unforgiving baby blue orbs. And for the gentlemen," She fished around for a moment before finally fishing a name out of the bowl. She opened it up, and took it in before reading it out to the people of the square, who waited with baited breath. "Axel Steline." Instantly, there were shouts of protest and a boy started sobbing and shouting 'no' over and over again. It wasn't till they dragged him out from the crowd of young men that I realized what had gotten the crowd so worked up. He had a bad foot. They were sending a cripple into the games, and he was a young cripple. The boy couldn't have been older than fourteen. I was eighteen; there were more eighteen year olds that had gotten reaped and this poor boy was fourteen and a cripple. The boy was hauled on stage and was deposited on the other side of Secci (I could barely see him Secci's hair golden wig was teased so high). I could hear him though; his sobs echoed throughout the clearing and only worked to make me angrier.

"You will now shake hands," Secci announced, her voice sounding pompously excited with a tinge of something I'd rarely heard from the voice of a capita's woman before: pity. He limped towards me and looked up to meet my gaze through tear filled topaz eyes; he was an average height for his age probably around five two, which meant he was a good four or five inches shorter than me, now that he was in front of me maybe closer to five. He held out his hand and I stepped passed it, instead choosing to wrap my arms around his thin, quivering frame. He responded to the hug almost immediately, choosing to hug me tightly back. I stroked his hair but didn't speak. What could I say? I wasn't going to lie; the kid had already gone through enough today. He didn't need my lies and false comfort; it would only make it that much worse when the reality sets in.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but you have to be brave. Okay? Your family is watching you; you have to be brave for them," I whispered the words to him; the only thing I could think of that wouldn't sound horrible or give him false hope. I felt his head nod against my shoulder and slowly released him, and he turned to face the crowd, his jaw set in determination. To my surprise, he repeated my gesture from earlier, and my friends responded again with a few other people. Before it could spread the peacekeepers were there, pushing us off the stage and ushering us towards the building where we would say our last goodbyes.

The room was dank and depressing with plain wooden floors, walls, and ceiling, a plain wooden chair in the middle, and a plain wooden desk in the corner of the room that I'm assuming has never seen use. My friends all came in at once, couldn't wait to see me off I guess. Robin and Serena attacked me: hugging, kissing my cheeks, but mostly crying.

"You're g-g-g-good with a bo-b-bow, r-right," Robin got out between sobs, looking at me desperately, searching for some sign to hope.

"She's right," Rose fixed me with her calculating amber gaze. "You said your father trained you in defense and weapons. You can win. Then you can come back. I've seen you with knives and a whip, you won't miss. You can win." She repeated the phrase as if assuring herself as much as anyone that it was true. As soon as I untangled myself from Robin and Serena, I hugged her hard.

"She's right," Birch agreed as I hugged him as well. "You can,"

"I told you when I came here that I was going to get reaped; I didn't tell you I was going to lay down and die. Oh, take care of Snap while I'm gone," I told them with a grin, embracing Avon next.

"Figures, you were just reaped for the Hunger Games, facing death and you're worried about your dumb cat," He let out a choked laugh which made me hug him harder.

"She's not dumb; you're dumb for not understanding her," I laughed lightly, trying to keep my rising emotions under control. I moved on to Richie, who wrapped his muscular arms around my petite waist. I was petite, which would work in my favor to deceive my enemies into thinking me helpless. If all of Panem didn't know me, I could've done well with the innocent act. Worked for Johanna.

"You can't leave, Cel. Who's going to get me out of trouble?" I grinned into his shoulder.

"I'm sure Rose can do it just fine," He glanced over and grinned at her. They were in love with each other. Had been forever, but both of them didn't want me to tell the other. "Do me a favor," I glanced over at Rose and then back to him. "Get together already, we all know you're in love with each other," Rose's mouth popped open and she blushed furiously, sending me a glare. The silence had only begun when a peacekeeper poked his head inside and told me I had one minute left. Richie glanced at Jack before hugging me tight again.

"We'll leave you two alone," He told Jack and I, and I almost called them back as they disappeared through the doorway, each giving me one last look before they left.

"Well, I for one am going to miss your jokes about our brown eyes," He smiled, but it was weak and shaky with only a crumb of real humor.

"Everyone has them! There's not one person who is in District 10 that doesn't have brown eyes," I spoke vehemently causing him to laugh, but then frown.

"They're right. You have to try to win, for us. I know about your past and your sister won, so maybe it runs in the family or something…" He trailed off hopefully, and I grinned and looked down because if I didn't grin or if I met his eye I would cry.

"Do me a favor, JJ," I looked up at him, using the nickname I'd made up for him when I first met him. "Don't watch. If I-" I choked on the lump that had risen in my throat, but swallowed thickly and forced myself to continue. "None of them. If I'm dying. Don't watch. I don't want you to see-" My voice cracked, and I swallowed again, calming myself as Jack's arms were around me and I buried my head in his shoulder, breathing in his scent. It was musty and woodsy, but it was pleasant and gave me a twinge of nostalgia. I broke away from him and took a deep breath, meeting his chocolate orbs with my baby blues.

"Time!" The peacekeeper called, and suddenly Jack grabbed my face and kissed me harshly. I stiffened in surprise and pulled away; I didn't like him, not like that. He just shook his head and laughed wryly.

"I didn't think you would, but I had to try. I had to tell you," He pressed something into my hand, and I looked down to see a bracelet. It was made of leather that he had woven together and tied. When I looked up the peacekeepers were already grabbing him and dragging him across the floor despite his struggles. I took a step towards him, but was held back by another peacekeeper. "I love you," He met my gaze, and I saw the sincerity and love in his eyes before they disappeared through the door. The peace keeper pulled me towards the door as well and before long I was walking alongside the kid, Axel, who looked like he'd been crying some more, being guided by peacekeepers towards the train.

The train was nice, not homely or cozy, but bearable. There was a sort of stiffly ornate and mature air to it that, if you didn't look too closely, could easily be mistaken for beauty. We were guided by Sicca to the dining car; where the kid-Axel- waisted no time in rushing to eat something. The food did look good, but it was unbelievably rich and I knew I'd probably regret it later if I ate a lot now. I sat down in a chair and caught sight of myself in the window. My ebony hair cascaded freely down my back in waves, for I really hated tying my hair back no matter the occasion, and it cut off around my mid back. Despite all time I'd recently spent in the sun, my skin still held a creamy complexion and, if anything, the few freckles that dotted my nose had gotten slightly more noticeable. There weren't that many of them, and they were small and a soft brown making them less noticeable from a distance. My nose was smaller than average and my lips were naturally pink and full. Xlemone would have a field day with me. Whenever I'd talked with her in the past, she'd always talked about wanting to do my makeup, of course, she had probably thought she would never get the chance without my consent.

Well, I was going back to the capital. That was good, right? I'd get to see my family again, now as enemies, which wasn't so good. My sister had won the 53rd Hunger Games when she was eighteen. There had been a huge buzz about her Games; Caesar had even gone so far as to say it had been the most anticipated Hunger Games since the first had come out. Haymitch. That had been the reason for all the buzz. When Haymitch had gone into the quarter quell for the 50th, Melody and Haymitch had only been seeing each other for a year or so. Haymitch was sixteen and Mel was fifteen, but turning sixteen in a month. She'd never been very lucky that way. Haymitch had won, and in President Snow's words that gave the people hope. His whole sponsorship and everything had been based off of her. His need to get back to her. How he loved her, cared for her, wanted her. It was all true, but it worked incredibly well. Love is still the best angle you can play in the Hunger Games.

Then she was reaped three years later and the districts were outraged. She had gone on Haymitch's victor tour with him and the capital loved her almost as much as Finnick now. She too had played the love angle and had come out successful, barely. She'd barely scraped out the victory and when they rescued her from the arena she was half dead already. They were the Couple of the Capital and that must have infuriated Snow to no end. He'd tried to have her killed in the arena by 'natural causes', but it hadn't really gone his way. She had been the only victor Haymitch ever mentored. It was a little before the 66th Games when it all started to go south. I still remembered it like it was yesterday, though I was only ten at the time.

I had been over visiting Haymitch and Mel, they'd gotten married years ago, but we were woken up in the middle of the night by a pounding. Peacekeepers, at least fifty of them swarmed the house, trashing everything, and dragged Mel outside. Four of them restrained Haymitch and two of them prohibited me from running after her. She had struggled wildly until one put the cool barrel of a gun to my head and told her if I didn't go he'd shoot me. She went and that was the last I saw of her, and I think that's the last Haymitch saw of her as well. When asked, President Snow said she'd lost herself in the capital. It happens every other year that a victor can't handle what's happened to them, what they've done, and choose to loose themselves in the capital. Maybe it's better that way. Maybe it's better not to feel.

"I'm sorry," I was snapped out of my memories by Whip's voice, and turned away from the window to face him. He was the only victor from 10 that chose to remain at home; there had been another male a while back, but he had long since vanished. I hugged him hard, and he squeezed me back, which almost crushed my spine. He was an extremely burly man with clearly defined biceps and ropey, tough hands. "I'm so sorry,"

"It's okay, Whip. We all knew it was going to happen eventually. The best thing I can do know is talk strategy," I stepped back from him and seated myself on the couch while Axel sat next to me, still quivering slightly, but he had stopped crying.

"You've seen many Hunger Games, Celeste. Don't go for the Cornucopia unless you're in with the Careers. You want to grab one of the outer lying packs and run towards the woods, find shelter, and water. Don't underestimate the power of a good water supply. Many tributes in the past have died from natural causes. And the first and foremost most important thing to help you survive…" He glanced from the kid to me and back.

"Is what?" The kid prompted, eager to know how to survive.

"Sponsors," I answered for Whip, who nodded in agreement. "Get people to like you, and you get gifts, which help you get ahead in the Games." I explained, keeping my eyes trained on Whip.

"Do you have any abilities? Talents?" Before either of us could answer, Sicca, with her shrill, obnoxiously excited voice, announced that it was suppertime. I rose and moved to the table with the kid moving practically as my shadow. I didn't mind it though, I liked him, he was real and reminded me of the friends I'd made in 10 that I missed so much. The food was served and he practically devoured his plate before I'd even finished my second roll of bread. I glanced at him and a small but persistent smile tugged at my lips. I don't trust everyone I meet. In fact, I rarely trust anyone, but those few that have really earned it, well, I'd fight to the death for them. I didn't trust my friends back at 10. I loved them all, but I didn't trust a single one; I was fairly certain that, if the option was to save my life by risking theirs, they'd choose to stay in the comforts of their homes without a second hesitation.

"What is that?" I glanced at the kid, who was looking at me with a mixture of curiosity and admiration as I poured the steaming brown liquid into his cup.

"It's called hot chocolate," I told him, grinning. He looked at it uncertainty and I grinned again. Damn it this kid was really growing on me. "Go on, try it," He cautiously brought the cup to his lips and took a small sip, his eyes going wide the second the liquid passed his lips, and then he was taking large gulps of it and pouring himself the rest, which wasn't much. "Would you like to finish mine as well?" I asked him, pushing my cup over to him.

"No, thank you." He turned down my offer politely.

"Take it," I insisted smiling genuinely at him and he took it. "Dip the bread in it," I advised him, and he wisely took heed. I returned my attention to Whip, who was looking back and forth between me and Axel with an overt look of unease.

"So, talents?" He glanced at me for a moment longer, making sure I got the message not to get too attached to the kid.

"I'm good with weapons, knives and bows, mostly long-range, but I prefer hand to hand." Whip nodded thoughtfully, even though he knew most of that. Mel had taught me how to hunt and had trained me in weaponry since I was little. After she'd gotten taken, I'd still gone to the capital each year for the Games with my parents, and I'd still met all of the tributes and hung out with the victors when my father did his work as weapons trainer. I'd kept up my training all through those years and when my parents died and I was left at the mercy of myself, I didn't dare let myself drop it. I'd received Mel's status as a victor and was allowed to come and go as I pleased. I used to think of myself as the one person who was truly free in Panem. I guess I was wrong.

"That's good, we can use that. Knives are useful in the arena," He mused.

"What about my angle?" I asked, knowing that I would need something powerful.

"Capital darling maybe. Put you in a nice, fluffy, pink dress…" He trailed off laughing as I wrinkled my nose in disgust. "Alright then, what were you thinking?" He knew me well enough to know if I had an idea, there was no talking me out of it.

"I was thinking a mixture of fierce and loving. Remind them that I am practically one of them," I paused for a second, mulling over what I just said, and then, with a glance at Sicca, "Practically." Sicca looked offended, but both Axel and Whip hid grins that were quickly extinguished by reality.

"There little girl all grown up? Ready to defend them? It could work, but remember: you're still representing District 10" Axel suddenly shot up and hobbled to the window, gazing out, eyes full of longing. We had arrived at the Capital. I took a deep breath in preparation for what lay ahead. I was ready.


	2. Staying Strong

****Thanks to whoever reviews or reads this! I don't own hunger games or Hansel and Gretel (you'll understand later and not sure I need to put a disclaimer on that) They'll be more Cato once training starts, and if anyone has ideas or anything review and tell me them! Thanks again!****

_Chapter 2: Staying Strong_

We were ushered through the throng of Capital men and women, some of whom were shedding real tears while other cried out my name with something close to desperation. If I could inspire real emotion in people as cold and heartless as capital dwellers then getting sponsors before and during the Games shouldn't pose much of a problem, not that that was really what I was worried about in the first place. I'd never killed anyone, and I was scared out of my mind that the Games would change me, just like they changed everyone else. It wasn't really a question of if the Games would change me, it was how they would change me that sent a cool spike of fear shooting up my spine.

We were in the elevator now, and I don't think I'd ever been in more complete, uncomfortable silence. About halfway to the 10th floor I realized with a jolt that the awkwardness was oozing from Axel. All those capital dwellers had been yelling my name and crying and angry, but they were all for me, not Axel. No one cared about him; he was just the boy with the bad leg that was going to die in the arena. I opened my mouth to comfort him or tell him there was hope, but nothing came out. The elevator dinged and opened to reveal the ridiculously ornate apartment that we would be living in for the remainder of our stay.

"Wow," Axel breathed as he took in the crystal chandelier, mahogany table, and bright colors that seemed to give the room an almost surreal sense, as if one just stepped out of reality and into a fairytale.

"Nothing but the best for my two tributes," Sicca told us with an air of superiority. "You are going down for waxing and beauty care and to be overlooked by Xlemone in half an hour, but before that we will be watching the reaping," She informed us, turning on the screen as she motioned for us to sit on the couch. Once we were settled, the reaping started. There was a handsome boy from one that, by his build was a spear thrower at heart, though I know they have an academy for tributes to be in one. He was accompanied by a flamboyant girl, who annoyed me already with the uppity way she took the stage and the falsely excited smile she threw at the crowd. Next there was an extremely attractive boy from district two that made my heart literally skip a beat even though I pushed away the feeling, knowing I couldn't afford to think like that. He was joined by a small girl that gave me an uncomfortable feeling. Judging by her petite frame and the fact that she volunteered along with the boy, who looked to be 18, let me know she was almost undoubtedly a knife thrower. There was nothing special about the tributes from 3 they both got picked regularly; 4 went much the same way, but I hardly noticed because my eyes kept shifting to the right of the screen that showed Finnick watching the proceedings.

Next 5 where a redheaded girl was chosen and a dark skinned boy. 6,7,8,9 went speedily, some cried others held their face blank still others looked on in disbelief or desperation. There had only been three that appeared to be on the younger side so far. Our reaping was played and I listened as the commentators carefully danced around the use of my name, though they most surely guessed if not knew that I was going to get reaped. My name was called, and the commentators were silent as I stepped out from the crowd. There was a gasp, and I smirked widely at the camera and the people. I could see now how Jack started to run towards me but got held back by Richie and Birch. I could see the silent tears that slipped down Rose's face and the racking sobs that began to escape from Robin and Serena's lips, but more than that I could see the effect my name had on the crowd, the anger that showed in many of their eyes. I was on stage now and looking over the crowd, then I saluted them and I was struck by how fierce I looked in that moment. Maybe it was because I had been so focused on my friends, but I hadn't realized that other people had raised their hands in salute, maybe twenty of them and more where going up when I lowered my fingers. Axel was reaped and I watched myself pull him into a comforting, silent hug, and this time, as I watched, I realized how tightly and with such desperation he had clung to me.

The scene changed and the 11s were getting reaped; my heart twisted painfully as a girl that barely looked twelve took the stage along with a clearly eighteen year old buff, dark-skinned boy. District 12 was what really caught my eye though. A girl that looked in the middle, probably around sixteen or seventeen volunteered for what I assumed was her sister, who had been reaped and was probably no older than twelve. She could be a possible ally. If I could prove to her that I deserved her loyalty than she would be fiercely loyal, and I wouldn't have to worry about her stabbing me in the back. She seemed like the type of person that didn't trust easily, but that was alright, because I really didn't trust easily either. A boy was called up, and I could tell the instant his name was called and he took the stage that he didn't stand much of a chance; his only chance was her. The reaping had just finished when there was a tremendous bang of the door being slammed open; Whip shot to his feet and was out of the room, heading in that direction.

"Where is she?" There was a few yells, but those words had been clear I jumped to my feet, knowing whose voice had yelled that. "I need to see her! Whip, let me through!" I rushed toward the hallway, and as soon as I saw him, all of the fight just seemed to go out of me, and I threw myself at him. His arms wrapped around me tightly, comfortingly, without a second of hesitation, and I buried my head into his shoulder. The circumstances were all right, but the tears didn't come, couldn't come; I couldn't cry in front of the kid, I couldn't show him how scared I really was. Instead, my body began quivering with all that pent up emotion, and Finnick stroked my hair soothingly. "It's okay. It's going to be okay." But there was an edge to Finnick's voice. He couldn't really tell me he wanted me to win because he had his own tributes to worry about, so instead, all he could say was that it was going to be okay. But it wasn't. None of this was okay. I hugged him harder - as hard as I could - wanting to feel him - to know that he was real - that he wasn't going anywhere.

"Celeste, we have to go to the beauty specialists to prepare you for Xlemone." I heard Sicca say as she bustled around the corner and then, "Oh," Was all that squeaked out of her mouth as she took in me and Finnick.

"I'll see you tonight," Finnick whispered in my ear, and I nodded against his shoulder. He gave me one last squeeze before reluctantly relinquishing me to Sicca and Whip. "You better take care of her," Finnick had regained himself a bit, which meant a light smirk was tugging on his lips.

"Finnick," I complained teasingly. "I don't need anyone to take care of me," Sicca rolled her eyes at us and ushered Axel to the elevator and pushed the button.

"Don't worry, I'll take the best care of her," Whip replied, ignoring my protest and throwing an arm over my shoulder, guiding me to the elevator. I didn't miss the wink Whip threw over his shoulder to Finnick before we got into the elevator, and I didn't miss the scowl that overcame his features as the doors closed behind us.

"What was that?" I questioned Whip once the elevator began moving.

"What was what?" He asked innocently in reply.

"You know what," I laughed, feeling as though a massive weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Whip laughed as well, and removed his arm from my shoulders.

"Just messing with Finnick a bit," So nothing out of the ordinary then. Before I could question him further, the doors dinged open, and I got out. "Have fun," was all Whip told me before clicking the button and shutting the elevator doors.

"What is this place?" Axel asked me fearfully as we were led to a silver, metal table.

"Don't worry," I told him, offering him a reassuring smile, and I squeezed his hand. "It's going to be fine, they are prepping us for the chariots tonight," Understanding dawned in his eyes as more capital women came to take him to his room, if you could call it that. We were separated by curtains.

Rip. Rinse. Rip. Rinse. Rip. I gritted my teeth against the pain of the wax ripping off my hair. According to Claudius, the man in charge of my beauty, I was almost done. Rip. My fingers clutched the edges of the cool metal table as they ripped another strip off. I only relaxed when the cool water rinsed away what was left of the wax on my now smooth legs. They wrapped me in a robe and led me to a room where I was left alone and told Xlemone would come soon. Soon turned out to be twenty minutes, which surprised me since she was usually right on time with her other tributes every year. She came hurrying in and took one look at me and burst into tears.

Now, I really was not well equipped for this situation. One, I was the one who should probably be crying considering I had just been handed a death sentence. And two, I was standing there, eighteen and absolutely naked while a middle aged woman bawled her eyes out in front of me. Thankfully, she collected herself quickly and straightened, smoothing her extravagant, scarlet dress and looking at me intensely. She circled me like a hawk, and I could almost see her mind working double time. It wasn't until she faced me again that I saw her red, puffy eyes. She'd been crying before she came here. That must've been why she had been late.

"You've probably been hearing pity all day, so that's not what I'm going to give you," I was surprised by her bluntness; this was a whole new side of her that I'd never seen. "I'm going to give you an opportunity to make a difference in the Capital. To impact these people. You need to remind them you grew up with them. You are the Capital's baby, Celeste."

"I don't want to wear a sparkly, pink dress and pretend like everything's okay," I began a bit hotly when she cut me off.

"Good cause that's not what I want either. I don't want people to be sad. I don't want them to pity you. I want them to stand behind you. They already love you, Celeste. They already want to sponsor you. Now you need to show them that you are fierce, that their money won't be wasted." I felt a grin growing on my face.

"What did you have in mind?" I asked, and she smiled so deviously and passionately that I was almost scared of her in that moment. The next three hours are a blur of twisting, pulling, tying, pinning, brushing, and pinching, and it's horrendous and long and boring. I can't help but feel excited though. Xlemone never answered me when I'd asked what she had in mind, and she had worked with a concentration that I had rarely seen on her, or any other capital persons', face. Finally, she stepped back to admire her work and clapped her hands together in excitement.

"It's perfect," She announced, glancing at the clock, which notified her that there was only twenty minutes till the tributes were supposed to be getting ready for their chariot rides. "Come! Come! Take a look!" She took my hand and lead me to the mirror that had been a tantalizing ten feet away throughout the entire process. I stared in the mirror, and my jaw hit the floor in shock. "You don't like it," Xlemone was crestfallen. "I knew it! I should have teased your hair higher, and the eyeshadow! Oh, it's a mess!"

"N-No!" I finally managed to stammer, still unable to take my eyes off my reflection. I was dressed as a barbarian queen. The dress was strapless, and the bodice was covered in animal fur, what animal I'm not entirely sure, it was striped black and orange and held a sort of fierce beauty. It hugged my curves and once it reached my waist, the dress fluffed out and only reached mid thigh, but there the skirt portion was layered. It had a train in the back and all different animal patterns were woven in, but the train looked slightly different than the rest of the outfit did, as if it was made out of a different material.

"I'm going to light the train on fire," Xlemone spoke calmly as if the idea were nothing special. I looked at her in astonishment, and she quickly continued. "It was Cinna, the designer from 12. I made an agreement with him, he's doing something similar with his tributes." There was a moment of silence were I took in my hair, which was teased almost three inches off my head and my makeup which was orange and black, making my blue eyes blaze with color and my ebony hair look a bit more wild and untamed, not that it needed help in the first place. "Oh! Time to go!" I was gently guided down the hall and through a door and then I was there. All the tributes were getting ready, well, most of them were there already. This was the first time I would get to see them all. I took a deep breath and held my chin high as I started towards the other tributes. I had to pass Districts 1-9 before I could get to my carriage, so I readied myself for their looks.

The tributes from one were dressed in jewels that glittered and glinted but overall they weren't anything new. The boy was looking at me up and down with something of a smirk, I raised my eyebrow at him and moved on. The boy from 2 made it hard to focus on the dwarf of a girl by his side. His stylist had strategically put him in a gladiators costume that showed off his biceps and left him almost shirtless, so anyone who looked could see his abs. I shoved down the butterfly feeling again and met his eyes to see he wasn't quite done looking at me yet. There was a dark expression in his eyes that I couldn't discern and gave me a bad feeling, but I masked my uncertainty with a cool indifference. He too smirked at me, and I smirked right back, not letting him get to me, even though I had a uncomfortable feeling he already had. I couldn't focus on the tributes from 3 so I just kept walking.

"Celeste?" Finnick's voice was the one to snap me out of my thoughts. I grinned at him, and he just stood gaping at my attire.

"Is the great Finnick Odair speechless?" I spoke in mock astonishment. "Sound the alarm! The second apocalypse is upon us," He laughed and shook his head.

"I'm not speechless!" He denied and before he could add more the trumpet sounded for five minutes. "Good luck," He told me earnestly, and hugged me tightly, "after the chariots-same place," He whispered in my ear, and I passed on without so much as a glance back at him. I knew what he meant, and I'd be there. I passed the rest hurriedly and got to my chariot; pleased when all of my District's people's mouths fell open at the sight of me.

"Mount up!" Axel and I climbed onto the chariot, "Don't forget to smile and wave! And don't forget to hold hands! You want to seem united!" Whip told us. Then, the chariots were moving and Xlemone lit up my train and Axel's cape.

The screams that greeted us when we entered the light and public view were deafening. People were chanting my name and clapping and whooping, but if it was loud before then after District 12 came into the light the stadium was in a frenzy. As if on their own, Axel and I joined hands and raised them above our heads in pride; on the screen I saw the 12s doing the same thing. I smiled at the audience and waved, blowing kisses. People threw roses, and, on a whim, I caught one and the people went crazy. The twelve chariots stop in the City Circle, and I take the opportunity to look at the screens. Most of the shots are of either us or 12, no one else is really aired, which must be pissing off a great many people. The anthem plays and Snow comes out of his ridiculously gigantic mansion. Our carriages make the circle and disappear into the Training Center with the screams of our new fans clinging to us. Axel and I are engulfed by our prep team; I can't distinguish one high, peppy voice from the next, so I just smile and say thank you. I suddenly realize how tightly Axel had been gripping my hand and I gently release his hand, which causes a blush to spring to his face, and he quickly lets go of mine as well. I pretend not to notice and instead focus on the other tributes. Most of the tributes and mentors are glaring at me with hostility burning in their gaze. I just sent them a sweet smile and swing my arm over an obviously nervous Axel's shoulder.

"Don't let them see you're nervous," My lips barely moved as the words were whispered in his ear. "Besides there is no reason to be nervous, they can't do anything right now anyway. There just angry because they literally went down in flames," The cheesy expression caused a small laugh to escape the kid's lips, and he seemed to relax after that. I glanced up to find the boy from 2 looking at me again with that same expression, and I sent him a wink. Looking back, that wink is really what set in motion all the events that happened next. I would be dead ten times over if I hadn't winked at him right then.

"Celeste!" My attention was snapped back to Finnick, who looked past me at the 2 boy and then back at me and smirked. "I said nice job darling of the capital,"

"Oh, but I thought that was your title," He offered me a blueberry, which I accepted. "I'm the queen," I gestured to my getup.

"That you are," It was times like these-things he said sometimes that brought us dangerously close to flirting. That's when I'd back off. It became something of a habit for us, a dance we played and had been playing for two years now. I looked around, hoping to catch another subject when I caught the boy from 2's eye again.

"Who is that?" The words were out of my mouth before I even knew I wanted to ask them. I could feel Finnick following my gaze, and his laugh snapped me back again.

"The blonde brute?" He joked, and my lips twitched up into a brief smile. "Cato, district 2. Does someone have a little crush?"

"No," I snapped at him, finally forgetting about Cato for a moment and turning to face a smirking Finnick

"Well, then why are you getting defensive?" Finnick asked innocently, looking way to pleased with himself.

"I'm not!" I snapped at him, getting more annoyed by the second. "I don't like the way he's looking at me. I can't read it." I added, forcing myself to calm down. Finnick glanced back over at Cato and smirked again.

"Lust," I looked up at him sharply; there was something in his voice that was different.

"That's not funny," I told him, taking another blueberry, and he shrugged in response.

"I'm not laughing," I regarded Finnick warily, "It's lust," We were at the elevator doors now and they dinged open as soon as Finnick clicked the button. We stepped into the elevator, and the doors were about to shut when a hand stopped them. Brutus' hand. In went Cato and the munchkin girl along with Brutus and Enobaria, who bared her teeth at me. I'd never much cared for Enobaria or Brutus; in fact, anyone from 1 or 2 I didn't much care for, too pro killing.

"Finnick," Brutus spoke, ice lining his words.

"Brutus," Was Finnick's overly cheerful reply. "Mind telling your tribute he'd better keep it in his pants," There was absolute silence in which it was all I could do not to sink to the floor in tears, whether they be of laughter or embarrassment I haven't decided. I pressed my lips together tightly to avoid anything slipping out, and I avoided the burning gaze of both tributes of 2. When I did look, Cato was protesting and Enobaria and Brutus were glaring at him harshly.

"Watch it, Odair," Enobaria hissed, baring her finely filed teeth.

"I'm loving your teeth, Enobaria. Mind if I borrow them for the arena?" Normally I would avoid confrontation, but I couldn't let her get away with threatening Finnick. Brutus held her back as she started towards me, and Finnick pushed me behind him. The elevator dinged. The doors opened, but no one moved.

"If I'm not mistaken, this is your floor…" Finnick prompted them. They each gave us varying levels of hateful glares as they filed out, and I blew a kiss at them as the mechanical doors slid shut. My emotions bubbled over and I hit Finnick in the arm. "Ouch! What was that for?"

"What was that for?" I echoed incredulously. "Why did you pick a fight?"

"I was defending the queen's honor," He replied wittily, smirking. My glare melted into a smile and slight laugh, and I sighed in defeat; I could never stay mad at him for long. The door opened for him. "Don't forget," He told me winking as he strutted off.

"I won't," I whispered, even though there was no one in the rising elevator to hear me. The elevator stopped off in the 10th floor, and I got off.

"Where _have_ you been?!" I was met by Sicca's shriek. "We've been waiting for you! You were fantastic! You're all anyone's talking about! You and district 12! You _stole_ the show!" She hugged me hard, and I awkwardly returned.

"Sicca! Give her room to breathe!" I heard Whip shout from the couch in the parlor. I untangled myself from Sicca and made my way over to where my team was in the parlor.

"Get changed. Dinner is in five." Whip told me, and I've never changed so fast. When I came out dinner was being served and I took my seat beside Axel. The Avox's served us wine and rich soup and beef. It was a good meal, and I ate more than I probably should've. The meal was over quickly and I got up and excused myself, taking the elevator up to the roof. Finnick was already there when I arrived; I could see his tall form outlined by the fading light leaning with both elbows on the railing, gazing at the horizon.

"Hey," He spoke softly, not turning around. I was probably one of the only girls, one of the only people, to see him this way. There was something vulnerable about him.

"Hey," I responded, leaning next to him. "You okay?"

"No," He studied my face intensely for a moment. "How can you be?"

"Remember what you said to me when I first got here?" I reminded him. "It' s going to be okay."

"You have to fight," He told me after a moment, looking into my eyes with a sort of desperation that scared me. Finnick was an older brother to me and had been for the past nine years. "I can't loose you; it would kill me,"

"No," I snapped, and saw him give a start of confusion, but I didn't care. My emotions were bubbling over and if I didn't get this out now I knew I never would. "If I die in the arena, you keep on living. You have Annie, Finnick, you have a life that will continue without me-"

"Stop talking like you are going to die," Finnick snarled at me, glaring, but I glared right back.

"I might! You can't just give up living if I die. You can't do that. Annie needs you. Mags does too, and the future tributes of 4-"

"Shut up!" He snapped, glaring at me. "You need me! And I can't do a damn thing!"

"Yes, you can." I whispered causing him to look at me. I took a deep breath, knowing I could never get through this part. I looked at my hands on the railing, so he couldn't see my eyes filling with tears. "Don't-don't-"

"No." Finnick shook his head. "No, don't you dare ask me that, Cel. Don't you dare say that to me. Look at me." He commanded, but I didn't. I couldn't let him see my tears, couldn't let him see how weak I really was. "Look at me!" His hands forced my face to turn in his direction and I looked into his sea green eyes, which softened as they saw the single tear that slipped down my cheek. "You have to promise me. Promise me you'll win," "I promise," I whispered, blinking away the tears. I wanted to be weak. For once in my life I wanted to be weak and not have to be strong for everyone. When mom died it was dad. When dad died it was Mel. When Mel was taken it was Haymitch. Now the Capital's here for me, but I still have to be strong. Still have to hold everyone together. I pushed past Finnick and ran off the roof and into the elevator, ignoring his shouts. The elevator closed before he could reach me. I stared blankly at the metal door of the machine, but I didn't see it. Instead, I saw a roof, but it wasn't the one I was just on. This is the night before the 65th Annual Hunger Games. The night when twenty three children ate their last real meal and enjoyed the last crumbs of civilized company. And the 24th child huddled on the roof, not caring how strange a sight it was for a fourteen year old boy to be crying into the arms of a nine year old girl.

My feet had carried me almost to my room when they stopped. I'd been so lost I hadn't realized why they'd stopped moving, but then I heard it. Faint sobs were drifting from the room down the hall. Axel's room. I walked to the door and pushed the door open quietly, taking in the scene before me. Axel was curled up on the bed, his arms hugging his midsection, while in front of him, he had set the wall to look like a farmhouse. His frame shook with sobs that seemed to rip their way out of his throat despite his best effort to hold them back. I walked forward and wrapped my arms around the kid's heaving shoulders and let him cry on my shoulder as I rocked him back and forth.

"You know," I spoke softly, not even sure if he could hear me past his own grief. "When I used to cry, my sister, Melody, would tell me stories. She had a book of fairytales that she kept, I think it belonged to mom. My favorite story was Hansel and Gretel. It went something like this, once upon a time there lived twins, a boy and a girl. They lived with their mother and father, but were very poor. Poor enough that eventually, they didn't' even have enough money for bread. When the father asked his wife what they should do about it, the wife said, 'we should take the children into the woods and give them each one piece of bread; they won't find their way back.' The father said he would never do that, but the wife would not rest until he consented.

"What the father and mother did not know was that the children had been listening as the father agreed to the plan. Gretel wept bitterly and told Hansel 'that's it! Now we're through! We will not survive!', but Hansel was not so ready to give up, so, when their parents had gone to sleep, he got up and put on his little coat and left the house. The brightly shining pebbles caught his eyes, and he picked up a handful and brought them inside to show his sister. 'Cheer up, sister,' he told her, 'God will not forsake us'. In the morning, they were taken out to the forest to cut some wood, or so their mother told them. As they walked, Hansel dropped a pebble every couple of yards so they could see the path they had to follow to get back. When they reached the spot, their parents made them a fire and told them to get some rest, and they'd come back for them."

I realized that Axel's sobs had turned into even breathing. I laid him down gently on the bed and managed to get the covers over him before I started to leave. I was stopped by his hand tightening in mine and pulling me to him, and he opened his eyes sleepily.

"Finish," It took me a moment to realize he was talking about the story.

"Tomorrow," I promised him, smiling softly. He nodded in sleepy consent. "I promise," I added, leaning forward to kiss his forehead before getting up and heading to my room, shutting off the lights on my way out. I didn't know what I was doing; it's a free for all in the arena. I couldn't afford to have dead weight on me. Couldn't afford to be tied down. And yet, as I slipped under the silken covers of my bed I realized there was no way I was letting Axel die without a fight.


	3. 1st Day of Training Part I

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_1st Day of Training Part I_

I let the cool water run down my face and body and just focused on gathering myself together. Images of my sister's desperate, screaming face as she got dragged out of her and Haymitch's house persisted in clinging to me even though it had been ten minutes since I'd woken up from my nightmare. As usual in the Capital, I have to scrape off the heavy foam they call soap with a hard bristled brush that scratches against my skin uncomfortably. I had grown accustomed to the showers here until I was shipped off to 10 where I grew accustomed to their showers. Honestly, I liked 10 better; you didn't smell sickly sweet like a flower afterwards.

I stepped out of the shower and put on a robe, wrapping my hair up with a towel before moisturizing myself with the various lotions the Capital had to offer. I glanced at my bed where the outfit my prep team had picked out for me was neatly laid out. I slipped on the tight, black pants that were surprisingly comfortable. Next I put on the form fitting, long sleeve, white tunic that was also fairly comfortable as where the leather shoes that I slipped on as I unwound the towel from my hair. My hair was still a bit damp, but I managed sweep it into a ponytail regardless before heading down to breakfast.

There were plates upon plates of food all lined up in the Dining Hall, and no one except Whip was eating. I took some eggs and bacon and sat down across from him. He just glanced at me briefly before going back to quietly eating his toast and jam. I was halfway through my meal when Axel came into the room wearing a white jacket and loose black pants. He just stared at the food in delight.

"You can go get some you know." He glanced at me and then snapped his mouth shut in something close to embarrassment. "Or you could just stand there some more," I grinned at him as he piled his plate high and then sat down next to me and across from Whip.

"So," Whip finally started after a couple minutes of silence. "What are your specialties?" He asked the question to both of us, but he never took his eyes off of me. A pang went through my stomach as the message was received, Whip knew that if he would have a victor it was me. Axel had no chance.

"I'm good with knives," I broke the uncomfortable pause that had begun to stretch out into an awkward silence. "and a bow and arrow. Or an axe. Anything really."

"That's good," Whip nodded.

"What about you?" I questioned turning to Axel before Whip could continue. I ignored the sharp look Whip threw at me, choosing to keep my attention on Axel, who shrugged uncomfortably.

"I can't do much. I can use a whip. Anyone from 10 can." He mumbled quietly. "You have a choice to train separately or together. Which do you prefer?" Whip questioned, fixing me with a steady look that oozed 'don't be stupid'.

"Together," I stated firmly at the same time Axel declared "separately," I glanced at him in surprise before glaring at Whip. "Axel-" I started, but was cut off.

"I don't want to slow you down." Axel snapped at me, efficiently shutting me up. "I have no chance of winning. I already said good bye, but you… you have a chance. The Capital loves you! You have a chance to win, and I'm not going to slow you down."

"No. Whip is only one person, so if we decide to train separately it will cut both of our training time in half, which means both of us are hurt." I reasoned, glancing back and forth between the two.

"Celeste-" Whip started.

"No," I cut him off. "Either we train together or I don't train at all," I stated, standing up and walking out of the room and towards the elevator, hearing Whip swearing in the other room. I had just pressed the button when I heard Axel come up beside me and cross his arms over his chest. I could feel his gaze burning into the side of my head, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of turning my head to look at him.

"I'm not a charity case," He finally spoke as we stepped inside the elevator and he pressed the button.

"Never said you were," I responded calmly.

"Just because I have a bad leg. I mean, I don't want you to think that just because I have a bad leg…"

"Look, when we these doors open, we are going to see 22 other tributes that we don't know. All of those tributes have District partners that they are loyal to. If we aren't loyal to each other, that puts us at a disadvantage. And, trust me, when you're in the Games, any disadvantage might mean death." I glanced at him to see him looking a little ashen. "Besides, you just have such a shining personality," He glanced at me before grinning.

"Yeah, I'm sure I'll win the capital over with my charms." I grinned as the doors dinged open to reveal a huge gymnasium filled with every weapon under the sun and training obstacle courses and survival stations.

"Welcome to Hunger Games 101," I threw Axel one more grin before we stepped out of the elevator and quickly two people pin the number 10 to our backs. We were ushered into the tense circle of tributes, all assessing each other with cold faces. The only people that are missing are the tributes from 12, and they are just stepping out of the elevator. They are dressed alike which sends a pang of sympathy running up my spine.

"Alright! Listen up!" A tall, athletic woman names Atala steps up on a sort of wooden platform. We all turn our attention to her. "In a moment you will be set free to go to whatever station you like. There are experts of each skill already at their station; they will not leave. Some stations specialize in weaponry, some in survival skills; in the fighting stations, you are absolutely forbidden to engage in any practice with fellow tributes." I zone her out and, instead, choose to assess my fellow tributes since I didn't get a very good opportunity to do that due to my late entrance. Most of the tributes are bigger than me and the tributes from 1,2, and 4, both male and female look lethal. The boy from 2, Cato I think, was assessing me as well and I just raised an eyebrow at him to which he responded with a smirk that caused a twinge of annoyance. I turned my attention to the boy beside him, the spear thrower from 1, I didn't know his name. "Go!" I almost jump out of my skin at the word and turn to see most of the tributes have already scattered. I jogged away from the Careers, who were all at the obvious weapon stations.

I settle at the empty snare station. After five minutes of careful instructions and failed snares I'm ready to give up, The instructor, Hera, had given up on me and moved on to help someone else. I looked around to see the two tributes from 12 in the knot station next to me. 12 was surrounded by forest. They could probably help. Plus, I wanted to have the girl as a tribute anyways. She was smallish and clearly malnourished, but something in the way she volunteered showed me that she had courage and loyalty.

"Hey," I leave my station to crouch by the two tributes, the girl jumps in surprise and turns to fix me with a hostile glare. "I saw how you volunteered for your sister; that was brave." I continued, ignoring her glares, which softened at the mention of her sister. "I'm Celeste, by the way, and I was wondering if you would teach me how to make a snare. I'd teach you how to tie a knot." I pointed to where she was struggling with the simple triple knot. Finnick had taught me almost every single knot imaginable when I'd visited 4 two years after he'd won.

"Katniss-" The boy started in a warning tone.

"No," The girl, Katniss responded.

"But Haymitch-"

"Haymitch isn't here, is he Peeta?" Peeta looked hesitant, and Katniss turned back to me. "Thanks, but we've got it," I stifled a grin.

"Oh, ok, well, you put the string through the wrong loop." I spoke quietly, undoing the last knot she'd tied and showing her where the loop was before turning around and starting to walk away. I bit my lip to hide a grin as I heard Katniss's defeated sigh.

"Wait, alright," She glared at Peeta, who grinned at me as I crouched back down beside them. An hour later, all three of us could make a simple snare that would leave an enemy tribute hanging, helpless by their leg from a tree. We had made small talk during the hour, and I learned a lot about Peeta, but Katniss was harder to converse with.

"So, what about you, any siblings?" Peeta asked as we moved on to the camouflage station. I winced and immediately he was apologizing. "I'm sorry, of course, I know." It was still well known, even among the children.

"It's alright," I told him and noticed Katniss had turned her full attention to me as well in interest. "There's not much to tell about her. She was my only sister. My mother had her young, when she was about seventeen. So I wasn't alive when she won her Games." I shrugged indifferently. I had grown indifferent over the past ten years. At least, I like to think I had. "What about your sister, Katniss?" She shrugged, but her eyes lit up and a small smile tugged at her lips.

"Prim is only twelve, and she's too young. She didn't deserve to get reaped. She didn't deserve to die." Katniss's blunt statement caused there to be a small silence.

"I know what you mean." I said with a note of seriousness to my voice. I glanced across the gym to see Axel at the spear station. "We are all too young," I hadn't realized I was going to say the words until they were already out of my mouth. Katniss gave a small noise of disdain in the back of her throat.

"How did you get reaped anyway? I thought you spent all your time in the Capital," Katniss asked and again her bluntness earned her points in my book. I frowned at my hand as I looked at the mud and clay smeared all over it in a sloppy attempt at camouflage.

"I was sent to 10 two months before the reaping by His Majesty Snow," I let a note of bitter anger seep into my voice when I said Snow's title sarcastically. I noticed both Peeta and Katniss tense at my mocking tone. "Don't bother. What are they going to do to you? Kill you?" Katniss grinned widely at that and, reluctantly, so did Peeta. "Anyway, my name was on every one of those slips of paper. I was getting reaped no matter what. How did you do that?" I suddenly exclaimed softly as I caught sight of Peeta's camouflaged arm. "That's brilliant," The trainer came over and looked at his arm and began praising him excessively.

"How did you do that?" Katniss added with a reluctantly impressed look. My gaze temporarily slid past her to watch 2 send a spear through the dummy's heart from a full fifteen yards away. Jesus.

"I do the cakes," Peeta told us softly, embarrassedly, and snapping back my attention.

"The cakes?" Katniss questioned, for she had also been watching 2. "What cakes?"

"At home. The iced ones, for the bakery." I nodded as Katniss seemed to have a deeper understanding of what he meant. I couldn't help glancing back to 2, who had now taken two steps back and sent the spear through the dummy's throat. I suppressed a shudder as I imagined a spear at that speed go through my throat. "It's lovely." Katniss was saying in an annoyed manner. "If only you could frost someone to death," I opened my mouth to come to Peeta's defense, but he beat me to it.

"Don't be so superior. You can never tell what you'll find in the arena. Say it's actually a gigantic cake-" I bit my lip to hold in a laugh, but it came out as a small snicker.

"Say we move on," Katniss interrupted shortly, standing up and giving me a glare that was all to well understood. "You should go,"

"Katniss…" Peeta glanced from me to her, hesitating, but looking like he wanted to come to my aid.

"It's fine," I stood up as well, "Good luck," I threw a wave over my shoulder as I walked away. I give a brief glance up at the panel of Gamemakers, who sit up there, jotting down notes or eating, and see at least two of them looking directly back at me. I turn away and move to the spear throwing station. I was never much good with spears, but it won't hurt to try.

Just as I pick up the spear I hear a deep laugh coming from just to my left, and, instinctually, I lift my head to track the noise with my eyes. 2 is standing there with his arms folded over his ridiculously muscular chest; he is standing with the other Careers from what I can tell. He has that arrogant smirk on his face as does most of the others with him. He is standing next to the girl from 1 and next to her stands her district partner. On his other side is the smaller, black haired, younger looking girl from his district. Somehow, I can't seem to tear my eyes from his blue ones long enough to study the other tributes.

"Hey!" My attention was snapped back to the trainer who had apparently been trying to get my attention. I heard more laughter from the Career pack; this time, a highly flirtatious giggle made my blood boil. "You want to put your weight into it. And you may want to get a little closer." I ignored him as I backed up two steps and hefted the spear above my shoulder. I took one step towards the dummy then a half skip and threw with all my might, like my father taught me. The spear embedded itself on the outer ring of the target, meaning it would've hit the lower stomach. I heard more laughter from the Career pack and turned a glare on them, which just made them smirk at me. Once again I met the eyes of 2. I turned away in annoyance. Damn it, why did he have to be so ridiculously good looking? I did not just think that. I frowned and picked up another spear. My anger turning into determination as I balanced the spear, calculating it's weight before throwing it again. I hit the bullseye on the target that was eight yards away. I glowered at the target before picking up another spear without glancing back at the Careers.

"You should try twisting your hips," I nearly jumped at the voice. I glanced to the side in surprise to find no other than 2 standing there smirking; I glared.

"You try twisting your hips," I snapped, turning back to the dummy.

"I do. That's why I can hit the bullseye." He retorted with that same lazy smirk.

"Hey, this is my training station. Go find your own." I knew that was childish but at the moment I didn't care.

"Well, if you're going to be joining the Careers, you should at least know how to throw a spear," I glanced at him sharply.

"Who says I'm joining the Careers?" I questioned, raising my eyebrow.

"I did," The threat in his offer was almost tangible. "And if you know what's good for you, so are you." I really didn't do well with threats.

"Well, I guess I don't know what's good for me, then, because I'm not joining the Careers." I met his glare with my own, refusing to back down regardless of the five inch height difference. "You're blocking my way," I told him, glowering and shoving the spear into his hand as I passed him. Well, that didn't go well. I efficiently pissed off the deadliest killer in the entire gym and his pack of bloodthirsty animals. I could feel his eyes burning holes in my back as I walked over to the edible berries station. I had barely started when they called lunch break.

We were all ushered into a giant Mess Hall and given a plate that we could fill with any of the foods displayed. I chose a salad and some other vegetables, choosing to eat light for the second part of the day, which would probably be more weaponry. I sat down next to Axel, who jumps a bit and glances at the loud table that's filled with Careers.

"Don't let them bother you; they're just a bunch of snobbish, arrogant kids." I spoke quietly to him, grinning as I took a bite of the salad and focused on not spitting it back out. God that was awful.

"Yeah, I guess." He glanced at me cautiously.

"So, I was thinking maybe we should walk around together for the second part of the day," He shrugged at my suggestion.

"The trainer said we are doing the ropes after lunch," My heart jumped, and I spared a quick glance back at the Career table. I was good at the ropes. Axel has a bad foot.

"Can you-"

"Climb with my foot?" Axel interrupted me in annoyance. "I can sure as Hell try." A feeling of pride bloomed in my chest as he said that with cold determination.

"Good. Make any friends?" He gave me an incredulous look.

"I don't need friends," I cuffed him over the head, and he looked at me in surprise. "What was that for?"

"Of course you need friends; you can't just have me in the arena," He looked at me in a happy surprise then, as if I'd told him his mother was going to live.

"Rue," I was confused for a moment as he said that word. "Rue, the girl from 11. She's only twelve, but you should see her climb. And she knows all the berries." I nodded in a sort of sad acknowledgment. She's too young. Katniss's words floated back to me. "Scarlet, she's the district 7 tribute. She's fourteen too, but she's really good at making a fire and other survival stuff like that." I nodded, digesting this.

"Katniss and Peeta from 12. He's gentle. Too gentle, but Haymitch told them to hide their abilities until the Gamemaker's individual assessments, so I don't know much, but Katniss is much more guarded." The rest of lunch passed with the occasional small talk. It was difficult to find things to discuss because family was too painful and the reality was unbearable. My anger was making me numb to the reality and all my family was here with me, so it was much easier for me to cope.

When we reentered the gymnasium there was a rope obstacle course in the middle of the room, and we were ushered to it and told to stand in a line by district. 1s went first, both getting okay times. The female 2 did better than the male, but that could be attributed to her size. More and more went until it was my turn. I stood in front of the rope net and breathed in and out calmly, waiting for Atala to give the mark.

"Go," I leapt onto the ropes and cleared the first part easily, faster than the others, I think. Next was the top part and then down on the other side. I carefully balanced my weight in between my left foot and hand and my right foot and hand while I crossed the top, all to knowing that the ground was fifteen feet below me, and even with the padded mattress, falling would hurt. Then I was down on the other side and done. There was silence. I looked at the trainer at the end. He cleared his throat and gave my time. I was first so far. All those climbing trees in 12 while I visited with Haymitch and Melody helped.

I glanced back just in time to see 2 glaring at the boy from 1 who was giving an impressed shrug and saying something that I was too far away to hear. I sighed, swallowing nervously as the reality finally set in. I was going to have to kill these people. I was going to have to kill these kids. I glanced back at Cato, and for the first time actually took him in. He was tallish around six foot and very good looking. His blonde hair was tousled as if he hadn't brushed it this morning, and his baby blue eyes were…staring right at me. I looked away quickly, ignoring the small fluttering feeling I got in the pit of my stomach. I didn't have to look at him to know he was smirking. I could not do this. Not now of all times. I could not afford to do this. I could not afford to fall for him.


	4. 1st Day of Training Part II

****Review! Happy Holidays!****

_1st Day of Training Part II_

The girl from 11, Rue, ended with the second best time with Katniss behind her; I had glanced back to watch them as I worked on the edible berries. Okay, Nightlock. Bad, right? I cautiously hit shook my head, earning a smile and a nod from the trainer. I glanced back again to where the girl from 5 was dominating the logic station. I sighed and got up from the edible berries; I'd already spent an hour at this station, and my brain needed a break. I walked towards the weapons training and got in line behind a tall, burly tribute from 11. He went and did scarily well, and then it was my turn. I was aloud to pick my weapon first, before facing the trainer, who was using a long stick.

I chose two sticks, which were each about half of my body length and surprisingly light. Walking into the ring gave me a small thrill, reminding me of training with my father. He had taught me best with the double swords, saying they were lighter and easier to handle. Of course, they didn't let me use a sword when training with a person, but the sticks would do fine. We didn't start fighting immediately, choosing instead to circle each other, looking for weaknesses. All the tributes that had gone before me had lunged at him immediately, and that hadn't worked out well for anybody. Finally, the trainer lunged at me, raising his stick as if to strike me across the face. I raised one of the sticks to parry the blow and the other one to block an attack to my other side, in case he decided to change the end of the stick he was attacking with. I lashed out with my foot and kicked him lightly in the stomach before quickly dancing out of reach, which efficiently angered him.

He glared at me and lunged again. Block, strike, dance away again. It became something of a routine, even though this was only the third time. The second time he had gotten in the blow; my arm was an achy reminder of that. The fourth engagement was when the problem started. He managed to disarm one hand, and he swept my legs out from under me as I was off balance.

"It's a good strategy, but-" He was cut off when I kicked his legs out from under him. Now he was pissed. He scrambled over to me and pressed the staff to my throat. "What do you do now? Come on!" I gathered my feet under me and extended them against his stomach, sending him flying away. I crawled towards my second stick and turned around with them raised just in time to block his next attack. I kicked him in the chin. Hard. It was the only thing I could think to do that would buy me a few seconds. He staggered for a moment, allowing me to regain my feet, before attacking again. This time, it only took two blows to send me to the ground, and he pressed the stick against my neck, making sure to pin my legs and arms. He got off me and offered me a hand up, which I accepted and walked out of the ring. I had done average. Good average. I was the first girl, but I had been fifth all around. That wasn't so bad. I had practiced on and off since my father had died. I went to go learn how to make a fire. That was useful, right? If you wanted to get yourself killed by the Career pack.

"I saw you fighting," It was a shy voice, very soft and young. I looked up at the small, mocha colored girl that up close looked too young to even be reaped for the Games. "You were really good,"

"Thank you," I smile at her and then glance back at the fire and back to her. "Could you help me with this?" She giggled and nodded, coming to sit across from me on the log. She looks up at me with her shiny, almost black eyes, and I offer her another small smile. She rubs the stick in between her hands while her hands slide down the stick. In no time at all there's a fire. "Thanks. Rue, isn't it?" I remembered Axel telling me the girl from 11 was named Rue.

"Yea," Her eyes widened slightly. "You're Celeste."

"Cel. Call me Cel," She smiled shyly.

"Cel," My eyes slid past her for a moment to see 2 looking at me from across the room. He was currently talking to the female blonde from 1, who I really couldn't stand. I raised another eyebrow at him and he smirked, turning away. "He always looks at you, you know," I turned my attention back to Rue.

"Who?" I asked in confusion.

"Him," She nodded towards 2. "His name is Cato. I think he likes you," The innocence of that statement almost made me laugh.

"He's a killer, Rue. Steer clear of him in the arena," I gave her some advice, standing from my position on the log. She nodded in response, also standing. I offered her one more smile before turning away to continue to a different station.

"He's looking at you again," She told me softly before walking away. I couldn't stop my eyes from finding his icy blue ones from across the arena; I quickly tore my gaze away and refocused on the next station I sat down at. This was pretty straightforward. It was honing my fight or flight responses. When to stay and fight and when it was best to hide or run. I was presented with different scenarios, and I did pretty well I think. A whistle was blown that marked the end of training for day one. We were released. I waited at the back while tributes piled into the elevators, eager to get back to the delusional bliss of their apartments. I adjusted my ponytail and hit the button for the next elevator, uncomfortably aware that I was standing with three Careers. Two of which I was fairly certain could snap my neck in seconds.

"I saw you with the trainer. You'd be a handy ally in the arena." One of them spoke up. I glanced at him, not sure what his name was, but knowing I had to be careful.

"Yeah, too bad they don't have sticks in the arena; you'd win," The highly obnoxious voice of his district female broke in. I glanced at her and faked a smile.

"I saw you with the bow, you know. Got to say: not impressed." The male tribute from 1 let out a soft snigger, and I realized he didn't like his district partner all too much. I glanced at Cato, who had been silent this whole time and was now glaring at 1.

"Marvel, by the way." 1 held out his hand, which I debated not taking. He was pretty attractive when I actually looked, and he was around my age as well.

"Celeste," I finally accepted the hand, knowing as soon as I did that I may as well have signed my own death certificate. He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it. Was he serious? He knew we were in the Games, right. Was he flirting with me? In the Games. Cato glared at him, and, on a whim and to piss off both the girl from 1, who was also glaring, and Cato, I gave him a genuinely big smile, which he returned.

"Pleasure." Marvel grinned as the elevator arrived and we all stepped in. I hit the button for 10 while Cato and the 1s hit their buttons.

"I already asked her to join," Cato told Marvel lazily, but he was looking straight at me. "Just one more to kill in the arena," He was trying to intimidate me, but I couldn't let him. Couldn't let him see that his words had an affect on me.

"Can I kill her?" The annoying girl whined to Cato, seizing me up. Were they…? Um, no.

"You can't kill me; you can't even shoot a bow," The words were out of my mouth before I could check them. Why? Why would you provoke the Careers, Celeste? 1 glared at me in what I'm sure she thought was a ferocious glare, but I just gazed steadily back.

"Why you-" She started.

"Leave her alone, Glimmer," I was surprised when Cato snapped at her. The doors opened and a stunned Glimmer and Marvel stepped out of the elevator onto their floor. The elevator door closed behind them.

"I can defend myself," I snapped when the doors shut.

"What's your problem?" He snapped back.

"You. You are my problem. The last thing I need is the Careers on my back in the arena."

"We could protect you in the arena," I held his gaze as we argued.

"I don't need protecting," I told him. "Why do you care what happens to me anyway?" He hesitated, as if the question had thrown him a little bit.

"I don't. I care what happens to me, and having you watching my back would help me win."

"Oh, well, now I have to join the Careers," I quipped sarcastically as the elevator doors open to reveal a pissed off, short female tribute. He stepped out with one last look back that told me the conversation wasn't over. As soon as I stepped out of the elevator on the 10th floor, I was swarmed with people. Well, one person to be specific. Sicca. She seemed to be in a frenzied excitement about something, but I couldn't really pick apart and understand her words. I made my way around her and into the living room to see Whip, Finnick and Axel sitting there watching the scores. I was okay with a 17-1 chance of winning. Anything below 23 was good after the first day of training. Axel had a 60-1 chance of winning, which was horrendous. Rue had somewhere about the same. Katniss had 25-1 and Peeta had 21-1, but that was just because he dominated the hand to hand combat. Although, Cato was still much better than everyone with a 1-1 chance.

"What are you doing here?" Was the only thing that came out of my mouth. All three boys turned around to study me as I went to sit in between Finnick and Whip.

"Watching the scores. 17-1, nice job, darling." Finnick grinned lazily. "How'd training go? As I hear it everyone wants to be your ally." I glanced up at Sicca, who nodded in excitement.

"The Careers want you!" She exclaimed.

"I know. They offered today; I turned them down." Silence and then Finnick jumped to his feet.

"What? Why? They're your best chance!"

"No, they're not. They'll betray me the minute they get the chance, and even if they don't I won't trust them in the arena." I reasoned to Finnick.

"I'll talk to my tribute." Whip stated, giving Finnick an icy glare. "I suggest you do the same," Finnick glanced back and forth between us and his incredulous look melted into a cool calm facade.

"Finnick-" I started, knowing he was angry more at the whole stupid thing than at me or Whip.

"No, he's right, Cel. I have my own tributes to worry about," Just like that he left, and I turned a glare on Whip.

"What? He needed a wake up call. As much as he cares about you, you aren't his tribute. Why do you think Snow put you in 10 and not in 4?" That question stopped me cold. I hadn't thought about that. I thought he'd just picked a random district. "He knows how close you are with Finnick, and he's waiting for Finnick to break the rules. Finnick's on thin enough ice as it is." My thoughts raced, but I was snapped back when Whip loudly clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "So, allies. If not the Careers than who do you want?"

"Katniss and Peeta. From 12." He just stared at me.

"The 12 tributes?" He asked incredulously while I frowned.

"And Axel." I added, glancing at Axel whose face had lit up.

"Anyone else?" Whip asked with an exhausted rudeness.

"Rue?" He just stared at me, putting his hands on his head in frustration.

"Okay, you can't do this," I opened my mouth to protest when he continued. "This mother bear thing, it's got to stop. You can't protect everyone, so stop trying."

"I do not have a mother bear-"

"Everyone you just named is not exactly the stronger tributes!"

"Katniss is! She's going to make it to the end!" I defended. "And so is Peeta! I want people I can trust in the arena! Forgive me!" I snapped the last part sarcastically as the argument got more heated.

"I'm trying to help you survive!"

"And I'm telling you that the people who survive are always the ones with allies they can trust! I've seen enough Hunger Games to know that." I finished quietly, and Whip sighed in defeat.

"Why do I even try?" He glanced at Axel. "What about you?"

"Scarlet. From 7." Whip threw up his hands and walked away while I grinned a bit and Axel let out a small laugh. Dinner went quietly and I took the elevator up to the roof again that night even though I knew Finnick probably wouldn't be there. I needed the fresh air and space to clear my head. I leaned my arms against the railing and looked down at the Capital. It was beautiful. And terrible. It was beautifully terrible. Or terribly beautiful. I sighed as I tried to think of anything but the impending Games. My impending Games. There was a noise behind me, and I spun around quickly, tensing. There stood Cato. Of course. Because if there was one thing I wasn't, it was lucky. For a moment neither of us spoke. Or moved. Or breathed. Suddenly, as if it was an entirely new concept, I realized Cato was probably going to kill me. He could kill me right now. I took long, fast strides towards the elevator, mumbling something about leaving when Cato grabbed my arm and turned, pinning me to the wall and looming over me.

"What the Hell do you think your doing?" I demanded angrily. I was angry and scared, but I tried to swallow the fear so it didn't show. He laughed, a deep laugh that would have sent shivers up my spine if I wasn't so determined not to be scared.

"Convincing you to join the Careers," He told me like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"I'm not scared of you," I informed him, gazing up into his captivating blue eyes and earning another laugh from him.

"No? Then why are you shaking?" He smirked again.

"I'm not!" I was. And he knew it. And I knew it. "It's cold out here," I defended after a moment of silence. He laughed again which caused me to get really angry. "Stop laughing at me," I snapped, shoving him in the chest. He glared and let out something that was best described as a growl, slamming me back into the wall.

"Why won't you join the Careers?" He snarled. I decided to try a different tactic. I breathed in and out, calming myself, my eyes never leaving the Career's. I remember what Finnick had told me, even though we were joking around. I looked at Cato through my lashes, praying to whoever that this worked because it would be humiliating if it didn't. I heard his breath hitch slightly before he got it under control. So it was lust last night during the parade. That was interesting. That was useful.

"Because I can take care of myself," I whispered, biting my lip. His grip on my shoulders had loosened now, and his face no longer held that infuriating smirk. I fluttered my eyelashes, not caring that I probably looked like one of Finnick's 'clients'. His grip loosened a bit more, and I ducked around his arm as fast as I could and sprinted towards the elevators, which were just opening to reveal a surprised Finnick. I jumped into the machine and with one hand pulled Finnick back from getting out and with the other hit the door closed button. Come on. Come on. Door Close. Door close. The door closed. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"What was that?" I looked at Finnick's smirking face and groaned, shaking my head. "Was someone being-"

"Finnick, no! It was nothing!" I yelped, shaking my head, but grinning regardless.

"Well, it didn't seem like nothing, darling. I saw him. The brute from 2, Cato." I calmed down my breathing. "What did you do to him? He looked-"

"Angry? Yeah, I just turned down his second offer to join the Careers."

"Not the word I would have used, Hun." I glared at Finnick causing him to laugh; he knew I hated being called that. "You can use him." The seriousness in Finnick's voice caused me to look over at him. "He wanted you. Lust is a powerful tool, young one." I rolled my eyes at the joke.

"I may have…" I shrugged, trying to come up with the best term. "Flirted with him," Well it sounded better than seduced, but Finnick seemed to get the idea because he laughed.

"Oh, sweetheart, now I feel bad for the guy." I let out a brief laugh and shook my head.

"Yeah, I'm at the top of his kill list now." Finnick let out another laugh and shook his head at me in disbelief.

"You'd be surprised. You can use him. Just…" He hesitated as I got off the elevator. "Be careful," He sent me a wink to lighten up what he was saying.

"Always am," The doors shut and I was alone. I turned, making my way to my room. I brushed my teeth, put on the silken pajamas Sicca or whoever had laid out and climbed into my bed, shutting my eyes tightly to keep away the images of icy blue eyes or lazy smirks or short, golden hair.


	5. 2nd Day of Training

_2nd Day of Training_

_ "I'm so sorry," No. No she wasn't. I would walk into my house and she'd be standing there laughing, smiling, admonishing me lightly for being late to dinner. She would fix me with a hard glare that would melt into a laugh at my pouting expression. Then I would join in the laughter. I would laugh along with her because her laugh could light up a room. I would turn around and there she'd be, welcoming the people of 12 into our home and smiling as they brought housewarming gifts. She'd even smile if she really hated the gift. She'd still smile and tell them she loved it and would start using it right away._

_ "Did all I could…so sorry," I opened my eyes and took in the sun rising into a cloudless, blue sky. The sun in the sky was covered by a thin layer of leaves. Trees. I was in a forest. I pushed myself off the mossy grass and onto my feet, slowly standing. My eyes scanned the forest, seeing nothing but trees and leaves and dirt. "So sorry," I spun around but there was no one there. "She's gone," I whipped around again only to meet more forest. "Too sick…too much for her….so sorry,"_

_ "Honey," I turned slowly this time, so as not to scare away the voice. I felt unwanted tears prick at my eyes. "Honey…it's me,"_

_ "Mom?" It was a broken whisper that sounded more like a sob, but I didn't care. "What…" I trailed off as I saw her. She was standing there, in front of me. She looked at me with bright blue eyes. Her hair was a chestnut color that flowed down her back and cut off at her waist. She was pale except for the freckles that dotted her nose and cheeks. She smiled at me through pink lips and I smiled back. She looked so happy, so guiltless and stressless and weightless and timeless._

_ "Remember what I told you?" She looked at me and I nodded, remembering the words she'd uttered. The last words she said to me. "You have to be brave, Hon. You have to keep holding it together." She came towards me and kissed me on the forehead softly, but then she choked. I jerked back in surprise as she put her hand over her heart and gasped._

_ "Mom?" I tried to reach out to grab her arm, but my hand went right through her skin. "Mommy?" More franticly now I tried to grab her, but it didn't matter because she began to become transparent. Now fully transparent. Now I could barely see her at all. And then she was gone. There was a dark laugh behind me making me spin around to see Marvel standing there smirking at me. "Marvel?" I squinted at him as the sun suddenly got brighter, engulfing my surroundings in a whitish light._

_ "DId it hurt?" He called softly; he was starting to become further away, but I couldn't see his feet moving._

_ "Did what hurt?" Confusion and a morbid curiosity made me call back._

_ "When I killed you," I felt thick, hot liquid running down my shirt in fat trails. I looked down to see a scarlet stain spreading across my shirt and pants, seeming to originate at my stomach. I raised my shaking fingers to my stomach in horror to touch the wound and gasped in pain, knowing I was going to die._

I gasped awake, grabbing my stomach in panic and taking a minute to realize I was in no immediate danger of dying. I sat there panting for a few more minutes before raising myself from the bed and going into the bathroom to shower and clean up. After I'd done that I changed into my black pants and long sleeved tunic that was a forest green this time. I swept my wet hair into a ponytail and breathed a slow breath to calm myself before heading down to breakfast. Everyone was already there when I got there, so I piled my plate high with food and went to sit down beside Axel, who smiled at me, but it seemed a bit forced.

"Morning, Sunshine." Whip grinned at me, making me sigh.

"Morning, Whip. What have you got for us today?" I glanced at the clock to see it was 9:45. I gave a yelp and shoved the delicious bread into my mouth before running towards the elevators, dragging a griping Axel behind me. "We are late! We've got to go!" I couldn't afford to miss any of training. Neither could Axel. The elevator took five agonizing minutes to arrive and when it did I jumped in, still dragging Axel. We weren't late, but all the other tributes were there already. I quickly joined the circle, and Axel followed.

"In two weeks 23 of you will be dead. My job is to hone and train you to have a fighting chance to be that 24th person. Now, when you/re in the arena, you may find yourself in need of an ally, so today we will be working on partner training. The arena is unpredictable, so you will get paired with a random other tribute!" Silence from the tributes. "Keep in mind these scores will also factor in to your overall score." She led us across the gym to a huge obstacle course. She looked at her list briefly. I glanced around, pretending I didn't see Cato glare at me. I was so very very dead. "First up!" She checked her list and I prayed it wasn't me. "Marvel, District 1, and Scarlet, District 7," The Careers exploded into sniggers while Marvel glared at the poor, terrified fourteen year old who was making her way to the front to stand beside him. He said something softly and her eyes widened, making her go white as a sheet.

"Ready?" They both readied themselves on the platform in front of the obstacle course. "Go!" Marvel started out faster, dodging the swinging knives, of course they were only foam figures, but it would still hurt badly if you got hit by one of those things. Next was the moving platforms, to represent being stung or scratched by a something that causes disorientation or hallucinations. Then was the rock wall; Marvel had reached the rock wall before he looked back at his 'partner', who was stuck in the middle of the disorientation walkway. She had fallen and was beginning to cry a bit as she struggled to crawl. Marvel let out an exasperated, dramatic breath before going back and grabbed her hair as he struggled to get her to the rock wall. She could climb well enough by herself, but he was much faster, and she slipped a few times. Once on top of the rock wall they had to climb down a rope net and then across a beam while four trainers were throwing batons at them. After the beam they had to move across an open stretch with things being thrown at them from all sides by the rest of the trainers. I imagine this is probably the highlight of their day. Marvel finally finished, but the girl had been knocked off the course and was now on the mat underneath it, curled up around her leg while the trainers attempted to help her away.

"Next!" Atala called and I turned back to her. "Glimmer, District 1, and Watt, district 5," The fifteen year old looked terrified and Glimmer let out a flirtatious giggle to the other Careers, mainly Cato, before climbing onto the platform alongside the boy. They finished faster than Marvel and Scarlet, but their time wasn't that great. I think Marvel was counted incomplete anyways because of Scarlet; at least Watt and Glimmer finished.

"Clove, District 2, and Reno, District 9," Clove, though only fifteen herself, looked vicious enough to shred the small fourteen year old. They were counted incomplete as the boy got knocked off the course while Clove finished and set him with a glare that promised death.

"Next!" Atala called out. "Cato, District 2, and," Not me. Anyone but me. "Celeste, District 10!" No. For a moment I didn't move, and then my feet were mechanically moving me towards the platform. I climbed onto it, and was greeted by a glaring Cato.

"Don't slow me down," Was all he said with that same arrogant smirk. I smirked right back.

"Only if you don't slow me down," Was all I answered, turning my attention back to the course and readying myself.

"Go!" I leapt over the first thing that popped up; I had launched myself ahead of Cato when she'd called 'Go', for I knew he wouldn't let me go first and there was only room for one person at a time. I had to dive out of the way to avoid being hit by a swinging, foam axe. Rolling to my feet smoothly, I nearly tripped on the next thing that popped up.

"Watch it!" I heard a grumble from behind, but I couldn't risk glancing backward. We were at the disorientation walkway, and I decided to take it at a walk because if I ran I'd get shot off the thing. Cato hurled past me onto the thing, and I had to suppress an eye roll as he nearly fell. I followed him at a fast paced walk, for that was all I dared to do. I made good time as I got to the end and started up the rock wall. I was halfway up when I thought to look back to make sure he hadn't fallen or anything stupid. "Worried about me?" Cato mocked as he caught my eye, only a foot or so behind me. I grinned and climbed faster.

"No just wondering when you were going to stop admiring the view and start climbing." I laughed lightly, reaching the top and starting on the rope net. I reached the bottom a moment before him, but I used all the extra time I could get. I turned to take in the next challenge when I was nearly hit in the face by a flying baton. We had to cross the beam. I wasted no time in starting to cross, but I quickly slowed down as I realized how hard it was to balance on that thing. My balance was fine, but I was also in front which meant any baton that got thrown was bound to hit me, and if I ducked it would hit Cato. I was almost across when one hit me square in the shoulder. Hard.

I wobbled and bit my lip to keep from crying out in pain. That's when I felt hands on my waist, steadying me. My cheeks flushed much to my embarrassment and horror. To cover my blush up, I ducked my hand and crossed the remainder of the beam in two fast steps and made it to the final obstacle. We dodged and weaved through most of it until we got down to the end. I was preoccupied with evading one baton by diving to the right and somehow I managed to slam into Cato, who had stopped short to avoid a foam knife. He turned to attempt to break his fall, and we fell onto the finishing platform. I looked down to realize my nose was practically touching his nose and I was lying on his chest with his arm around my waist. My heart fluttered and, before I could do anything stupid, I rolled to my feet and climbed off the platform, quickly hurrying away to another station, and ignoring the other tributes entirely.

Lunch wasn't much fun. I sat with Katniss and Peeta this time, and was not to pleased to find out that they were a bit suspicious of my encounter with Cato at the obstacle course. And by they I mean Katniss. After lunch I began with the knife throwing station. It was going pretty well actually; I was hitting bullseye after bullseye on the moving targets. I was joined by a boy around my age, maybe a bit younger, that I think was from District 8 and Clove, who was throwing and also hitting the bullseye with scary accuracy.

"Stay away from Cato," She said it casually. So casually I had to double-check I'd actually heard it.

"Why do you care?" I looked her up and down before going back to the knives. "Aren't you a little young for him anyways?" She rolled her eyes and sent me a glare.

"He's my district partner; I don't want anything messing with his head in that arena." She justified, and I bit back a grin that I knew would tick her off.

"So, you're worried about me being a distraction? I am distracting, aren't I?" She glared at me, but there was a hidden smile in her eyes.

"Just stay away from him," She snapped, and I turned away from her and left to go find another skill to hone. I arrived at the bow and arrow station that was empty except from the mousy ginger from five. I grabbed the bow and pulled the string taut and let go. Third ring. I glared at the target as I heard mocking laughter behind me. I pulled back again. Bullseye. Right in the center of the red. I smiled in satisfaction.

"Please, she can't hit the bullseye. I bet it slipped." The annoying, high pitched, airy voice of Glimmer caused my blood to boil and teeth to clench. I grabbed an arrow and turned around and shot without thinking of what I was doing. The knife clanged to the floor along with the arrow that had hit it out of her hand. She looked startled and I wiggled my fingers in a mocking wave.

"Sorry, it slipped!" I called as the peacekeepers swarmed us and the training session was announced over. This time, I pushed my way to the front of the elevator line, not wanting to be left alone with the tributes. I ended up in an elevator with Katniss, Peeta, the girl from 3, Marvel, who didn't look like he was going to do much in his district partner's service, Axel (I had grabbed him and pressed him in along with us at the last moment), and the boy from 8. The elevator shot up and we were on our floor in seconds.

"How did it go?" Finnick questioned with a suggestive wink. I rolled my eyes but flushed a bit. "Oh! That good!" I opened my mouth to deny when, surprisingly, Axel added his two pence in.

"She fell on him," I glared harshly at him.

"And to think: I helped you. I thought we were friends!" I exaggerated, shaking my head; he just laughed, which was another surprise. Maybe he was in acceptance. Or denial.

"Do tell," Finnick gestured to the couch that he was plopped down on.

"Finnick, you need to go," I argued, ignoring the flush that was still on my cheeks.

"She's right," Whip came into the room, sitting down next to Finnick. "After you tell us what happened." Finnick's face lit up like a little boy when his mother gave him a present. I felt myself giving in against my will and smiled.

"Fine," So I told them the entire thing, and they took it in eagerly.

"My little girl is growing up!" Finnick let out a fake sniff making me laugh.

"Finnick!" I wined, dragging the word out.

"I'm leaving. I'm leaving," He laughed as he walked into the elevator and left still laughing.

"This could work in our favor; you know how much the capital loves love!" Sicca was rambling as we sat down and began eating. The meal was passed in silence that was occasionally broken by a comment or two.

"Have you decided about allies?" Whip questioned, getting down to business. I shook my head.

"I still want Katniss and Peeta. Talk to Haymitch." Whip's head snapped to me and I could feel his gaze on me as I studied my food.

"You still aren't talking to him?" I arched an eyebrow at Whip who sighed and put his hands up in surrender. "It's been…how long now?"

"Three months," I supplied him. "And sixteen days," I added, doing a quick calculation. He looked at me with sad eyes.

"You can't stay angry forever." Whip told me sagely.

"Watch me," I snapped. "And besides, you're just angry because you lost the bet." Whip shrugged in acknowledgment. I got up and left for the elevators, not even sure I wanted to go on the roof today. As soon as I got off the elevator, I was grabbed and slammed against the wall with dizzying force.

"Why did you do that?" I focused on Cato's voice and looked up into his angry face. He looked ferocious, animal like even, and for once I was afraid. Really afraid of him. He looked as if he was ready to snap my neck. "You made me look weak!"

"Hey!" I snapped back, finally forcing my self out of my petrified state. I shoved him with both hands as hard as I could. "You weren't the one who needed saving on the stupid beam!" I glared right into his eyes, holding his glare with my own.

"Stop it!" He snarled at me, breaking the eye contact and backing up, calming a bit, looking at me and smirking. "You'll be the first I kill in the arena," He threatened.

"I'd like to see you try," Even though his words chilled me to the core, I didn't back down. "I'm not scared of you,"

"Yes, you are," He loomed over me and put his hands on the wall to either sides of my waist and looked down at me with that same infuriating smirk. I could move. I could run, but my body felt frozen against my will. "I think you're scared of dying," His lips were coming closer, but instead of meeting my mouth, they slid past my mouth and brushed against my jawline. I felt something rise in my stomach, and if I had butterflies when he looked at me, then I had a whole swarm of them now.

"I have to go," I stammered, hating the way my voice shook, and hating when he laughed.

"Really?" He mumbled. I needed to get myself together. Now. I froze, not resisting, not allowing, just not responding. He tilted his head back to look at me, and smirked, it was the smirk that really snapped me out of it. He thought he'd won. I started doing the same thing to him, brushing my lips softly along his jawline and feeling it tighten as he clenched his jaw. I nibbled his ear briefly before making my way down to his neck, knowing that I'd find a soft spot. I trailed soft kisses down his neck until I got about halfway down and he froze as I hit a spot.

Suddenly, I was slammed into the wall and Cato crushed his lips on mine. It was heaven. I couldn't even deny that. As soon as his lips were on mine the world seemed to melt away entirely. I worked my fingers through his hair and he possessively gripped my waist with one arm while the other hand was on my face. I. Couldn't. Do. This. No. Stop! I tore myself away from him, breathing hard. He was looking at me with a mixture of shock, anger, and I think I saw a flicker of fear.

"I can't," He said it. He was shaking his head and then he was gone, and I was there alone. I vaguely heard the doors to the elevator shut, and he was really gone. What the bloody hell was I doing? I sunk down the wall until I was sitting on the floor, my back pressed up against the cold cement. What was I doing? I couldn't do that. I couldn't fall for him. I was as good as dead if I fell for him. Why did he have to be so damn intoxicating.

"Oh, Darling," I looked up to see Finnick's face as he sat down next to me. I shook my head and rested it on his shoulder.

"I'm scared," He wrapped his arms around my waist and pressed closer to me. "Finny," I used the nickname I hadn't used since I was thirteen, and it caused his arms to tighten around me. "I'm scared," I felt so damn small and meek and useless and helpless. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't fall for him. I couldn't die. "I'm scared to die." He rested his chin on my head and took one arm from my waist and brought it around my shoulders to stroke my hair.

"You're not going to die, Darling." He told me with determination that scared me. "I promise," And I believed him.


	6. And the training comes to an end

The snow white envelopes sat on my end table. Well, it wasn't going to be mine much longer. There were five envelopes; each had a different word in big, black capital letters scrawled across the upside. I had considered writing more, but there was really no need. There were only five people that I had unfinished business with. Five people that I needed to say good bye to one last time. Five people that I was leaving behind. I gazed at the top letter with a heightened sense of trepidation. Across the surface read in large black letters: FINNICK. I would give them to Whip for safe keeping. Or maybe Sicca would be better. No, she'd make a public thing out of it. Xlemone. She would be discreet and honest. I took a deep breath, shoving them in the drawer before swallowing hard and promising myself I'd give them to Xlemone when she did my hair and make up for the interviews tonight.

Oh, God, the interviews. I only had a half day of training left until I was going into the arena. Suddenly, it was very hard to get enough air into my lungs as if someone was holding a plastic wrap across my face and I was trying to breathe through it. An image of Cato flashed through my head; he held up a sword to my neck with a malevolent smile contorting his features. My scream almost sounded real as he drew the blade in one vicious cut across my neck, silencing me forever. I could not die. I was too young. I hadn't done anything yet. I hadn't made a difference.

"Hey!" I opened my eyes, not even realizing I'd closed them till now. Axel was in front of me; his young face looking ghostly pale, and his topaz eyes were filled with concern and fear. "Breathe. Okay? Breathe." Slowly, my breathing became more and more regular, until I was breathing naturally again. The vision dissipated as my breath returned, and I could think again. "You're okay," Axel murmured, and I gave him a shaky smile in response. "Breakfast is ready, and we have to leave in twenty minutes."

I rushed through the morning routine, and grabbed a piece of toast before getting into the elevator with Axel and pressing the button for the training floor. Axel and I were dressed similarly today; he wore a fitted brown shirt that was the same shade as my tunic. We both wore our usual black pants and leather shoes. I had tied my hair back into a ponytail as we descended to what was to be the last chance we had to boost our chances of winning. I refocused my attention on what I had to do in the last day, well, half day, of training. Katniss and Peeta were my main concerns. I needed to win them over today, or at least, I needed to win over Katniss today. Peeta was a lot easier to deal with do to his candid, affable nature. Katniss, on the other hand, was shrewd, dangerous, and very wary and skeptical of everybody.

Everyone was there when the elevator doors opened and we stepped out. Atala looked irritated at our lateness, but she simply got up and started speaking. "Today is your last day for boosting your scores before going into the Games, which means today's importance cannot be overstated. In a moment, you will be set free to do your own training, but know that there will be trainers at the ropes and obstacle courses if anyone wants to do them. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor." She got off the platform, and we were dismissed. I looked around for Katniss to find her and Peeta heading towards the knife throwing station. After a moment of debate, I joined them at the knife throwing station where Clove was dominating.

"You have to flick your wrist," I advised as Katniss' knife embedded itself firmly in the third ring of the target. She glanced at me cautiously, but stayed were she was. "It's more of a snapping motion," I threw a knife that hit the inside edge of the bullseye. She took another knife after having watched me and tried what I'd said. She hit the inner edge of the second ring, and furrowed her brow in concentration, picking up another. I glanced at Peeta, who was missing the target entirely. "Here," I took his hand and put the knife in it, curling his fingers around the hilt, but positioning them the way they should be. "There. Now, aim and flick." I flicked his hand as a practice and then let him have it back to try it. He hit the outer ring of the target, but his face lit up like someone had flicked a switch inside of him. His smile was contagious, and soon I found myself smiling at his success. He looked at me, and his smile faltered. He nodded past me, and I turned my head to see Cato with his sword in hand, glaring at us from across the arena where he was standing in the middle of six sliced up dummies. I shot him a smirk and turned back to the knife station.

"Why are you doing this?" The bluntness of Katniss' question caused my lips to twitch up into a small smile.

"I want you as allies," I replied, equally as blunt. I opted to leave the statement open to Peeta as well, for though he may not be the deadliest tribute, his strong build left no doubt he'd be an useful ally.

"No." Katniss' immediate response caused Peeta's head to snap up in surprise. "I don't care," She snapped as Peeta opened his mouth to protest. "No." She spoke again directly to me. I flicked my wrist, sending a knife through the dead center of the target.

"I'm not a killer, Katniss. I don't think it's fun to watch children kill each other in the arena. And, yes, it is horrible that we were reaped, but if you want to survive, if you want to go home to your family, to your sister, your best chance is with me as an ally. You know that, and I know that. And quite frankly, there are a lot worse tributes than me you should be worried about," I turned to go when Peeta's words stopped me.

"Like Cato?" I glanced at Clove, who had been at the station the whole time and, though still throwing, was listening intently.

"Yes," I answered plainly, continuing on to the one on one combat was. I grabbed one long stick this time as I'd seen Marvel practicing with yesterday. The male trainer held one smaller stick, representing a sword, and stood ready. He came at me with a fast blow to the head, which I barely blocked. He then used the rebounding force to attempt to hit me on the other side, which I ducked. Without thinking, I brought the staff around to hit him in the midsection, only he blocked with ease and kicked me in the stomach. While I lay gasping, he straddled my waist and grabbed the staff. The only thing keeping the staff from crushing my neck was my two hands gripping the thing and resisting with all my might.

"What do you do now?" The trainer yelled at me, and my mind drew a blank. "Come on, 10! Are you just going to let me kill you?" That got me. One of my hands reversed it's grip on the stick, and I slammed my elbow into his face as hard as I could. He reared back in surprise and I used his momentary distraction to my advantage, head butting him in the stomach and sending him staggering to his feet. I looked up to see him raising the 'sword' over his head and reacted on complete instinct. Grabbing the end of the stick in one hand, I swung it with as much force as I could muster, sweeping his legs out from under him. To my surprise, he laughed. Psycho. I straddled him and pressed the stick against his neck, but forgot to calculate his superior strength. Both of his hands caught the staff, and he wrestled it away from me. I extended my legs, trying to put distance between us, but he caught me and held the 'sword' to my throat, pressing me to his chest.

"Dead," He announced and let me go. I struggled to regain my breath as I got off the platform and searched the room for another activity.

"Kid! Where's my knife, huh?" I glanced a couple stations down, and did a double take when I saw Axel by the knife throwing, looking scared as Cato advanced on him.

"I didn't touch your knife!" Axel protested as Cato shoved him a bit. I pushed through the tributes who were forming a semi circle and watching the events unfold.

"I put my knife right there!" Cato snarled, and Axel glared at him, getting defensive as Cato shoved him a bit. Axel slapped his arm away, angering Cato further.

"I didn't touch your knife!" Axel protested again, and then, angrier, "Don't touch me!" I reached them just as the trainer did. The trainer grabbed Cato's arm, attempting to drag him away while I grabbed Axel and positioned myself in between him and Cato, well aware that this isn't how a normal tribute would act.

"Yes, you took my knife!" Cato insisted, trying to get around the trainer and glaring at me. I should not have tried to help Axel, that was a mistake, but Whip had told us to defend each other and act team like.

"He didn't touch your knife!" I snapped at Cato, shoving his arm that was reaching around me for Axel.

"You're going to defend him?" The rage filled question surprised me, but I refused to let it show. Instead I glared at Cato while Axel backed up. "He took my knife, the liar!" He yelled, speaking more to me then Axel. Two peacekeepers came and started to drag him away from us. I risked a brief glance up at the game makers, who sat watching us from above. This was going to hurt my rankings. Any display of affection hurt a tributes rankings. "You liar!" Cato shouted again, ignoring Axel's protesting yells. "You little punk! You took my knife!" His face contorted with fury at the kid. If this little thing could make him furious imagine what the arena would do. The thought send a trill of fear through me, but I suppressed it and focused on diverting his attention from Axel.

"Calm down!" I snapped at him, looking right into his rage filled, icy eyes. "He didn't touch your bloody knife!"

"Don't tell me to calm down!" He shouted and then to the peace keepers. "Get off of me! He's lying!" I glanced uneasily at the gathered tributes and a figure in the netting above our heads caught my eye. The small girl from 11, Rue, was holding a knife in her hands, fingering it with a mischievous and amused smile on her face. Great. I caught her eye, and I just saw her smile beginning to falter when I turned back to Cato. That's when I got an idea. An absolutely crazy idea, but an idea all the same. I crossed to where Cato was struggling against his restraints and grabbed his arm with one hand while putting a hand on his shoulder with the other. Instead of shoving me to the side like I thought he would, he actually stopped struggling in momentary surprise.

"Don't, he's not worth it," I told him what he probably wanted to hear. He began to struggle again, and I continued quickly, but in the same quiet, firm voice, "If the tributes think you have an anger problem, it will make you look weak," That stopped him, and he reluctantly allowed me to push him back a bit, though I could tell he was still glaring at Axel.

"I was just sitting here!" Axel was protesting loudly, and one glance showed me he was looking at me with a mixture of shock and anger written on his face as he strained desperately against the trainer restraining him.

"I'll finish you right now, kid." Cato threatened, but stopped struggling completely, letting me lengthen the distance between him and Axel. "Actually, better yet, I'll wait for the arena! You're the first one I get, so watch your back." His words sent a chill through my body that I refused to show. I let go of him as the Peacekeepers started pulling him away, so I was unprepared for when he grabbed my arm and pulled himself closer to me to whisper in my ear, "Be careful who you defend here. You have weaknesses too," I suppressed a shiver as he let go of me and let the peacekeepers lead him away. There was a whistle and Atala ordered us to form a line a the ropes, but Cato threw one last comment over his shoulder, lacing it with a hint of the rage he had previously displayed, "You know who you're messing with kid!" I turned and fixed a harsh gaze on Axel, who glared at me back.

"What the Hell do you think you're doing?" I hissed angrily at him as I grabbed his arm.

"What the Hell do _I_ think _I'm_ doing? What the Hell do _you_ think _you're_ doing!" He snarled back a bit loudly causing me to glance around before returning my glare to him.

"I'm trying to help you!" I snapped irritatedly as we got into line behind the 9s.

"I don't need you to stand up for me! I was doing a fine job-"

"By provoking one of the deadliest tributes!" I snapped, cutting him off and ignoring his sulking look.

"He came at me!" The boy defended. "I was defending myself! What was that with you and him?" His question held an accusing tone.

"What was what?" I was the one feeling defensive now, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I saw the way he looked at you. I'm not stupid." What way did he look at me? The question was on the tip of my tongue when my gaze went to the tribute behind me, Thresh, and behind him, Rue, who were both looking at us, and I realized that even though we were whisper yelling, the tributes closest, namely 8,9,11, and 12 could hear us. I put a finger to my lips and mouthed 'later' to him. I only received a glare in response. He was really mad at me. But, what way did he look at me? The question burned in the back of my mind while the first 3 districts went out on the ropes.

"Thank you," The deep, gravelly, unfamiliar voice made me jump. I turned to face the burly, well built tribute from district 11, Thresh. He seemed to sense I was confused, for he explained shortly. "I know you saw her," Rue peeked out from behind Thresh, looking even smaller due to his six foot stature. I smiled at her softly.

"She's very quick," I noted, still smiling as she tentatively smile backed. I glanced back to Thresh, who was looking at her with something that if I didn't know better I would've called pride. I knew better than to bring up the arena, so I just kept my mouth shut as he spoke.

"Yea, she is," That concluded our conversation, and I turned again to face the front as the 9 girl was called up. She faired better than she had on the first day, but her overall time was still bad. I couldn't quite hold in my wince as Axel fell halfway through the course and clutched his leg in pain. I beat my original time but only by a few seconds. It was still the best time so far, and I knew that that would raise my chances. I glanced up at the Gamemakers to see four of them watching me intently, and two others were sending frequent glances my way. Rue and Thresh finished within the top ten tribute times. I crossed my arms as I watched the last of the tributes go. Peeta fell, but pushed himself up and asked to go again, which was granted to him. I tried hard to ignore the sniggering I heard behind me. Katniss finished with a good time, and I caught her eye. Honestly, at this point, I considered it a personal victory when she uncertainly came to stand by me.

"Katniss," I began in a low voice so as not to be overheard. "Does Peeta have any talents besides camouflage?" She glanced at me sharply, shifting away again like a bird that could take flight at a moments notice. "I know Haymitch said not to show your abilities," She stiffened even more at that.

"How do you know that?" She questioned suspiciously, and the corner of my mouth quirked briefly into the ghost of a smile.

"Because I know Haymitch." I replied, and she hesitated for a moment as if there was something she wanted to say, but wasn't sure.

"He told us we could trust you, and he said to tell you he's sorry for not seeing you, but it's too painful," She finally confessed, and I glanced at her in surprise. Haymitch said that? "Peeta does have some talents, but…"

"He needs to show them off, now," Before she could disagree, I nodded at the Careers, who were watching Peeta climb and laughing at him struggle. There was a dangerous glint in their eyes like they were assessing how would be best to kill him. Peeta hit the ground with a painful sounding thud, and still eying the Careers warily, Katniss walked over to him, whispering something. They seemed to be talking and then Peeta sent a glance my way before he stood and walked over to the weights, taking the hundred pound one. Struggling a bit under the weight, he made his way to the center where a small platform stood. Cato, Glimmer, and Marvel snickered at him, and Cato caught my eye and shot me a smirk, which I returned with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. He returned his attention to Peeta, who was throwing the weight now. The weight flew through the air and hit the spear rack with a solid clang. Glimmer and Marvel took an involuntary step back while Cato just shrugged with his arms still crossed and, even from the other side of Peeta I could hear the 'not bad'. They walked off.

"Lunch!" Atala's cry was followed by a piercing whistle, and all the tributes were herded into the Mess Hall. I ate light, opting for a turkey sandwich and an apple. I sat down beside Axel, wanting to finish our discussion, but we didn't. Tributes got called one by one into the personal evaluations. The boy tribute went first, and then the girl followed.

"Good luck," I told Axel as he got up from the table. He looked at me and, for a moment I thought he was going to just walk away, but he didn't.

"You too, Celeste," Then he was gone, and I was at my table alone. I was vaguely aware of someone passing behind me, but was surprised when I heard her speak.

"Don't look at me, but alright," I didn't look at Katniss in surprise and confusion like I wanted to, but just bit into my apple. "Alright, allies," She spoke quickly keeping her voice low, and I hid my grin by taking another bite. "But we're not allied with Peeta."

"Okay," Was all I said as she walked off.

"District 10, Celeste Greenwich," I threw away the rest of my apple and walked into the arena. The Gamemakers looked attentive and ready to mark down anything I said or did. I grinned; I already had a leg up over the rest of the tributes. I decided to start with the knives. I threw one that hit dead center on the target then I rolled across, threw another that hit the center of a bow target, and then threw another that sliced clean through the neck of a dummy in the swords section. Next, I grabbed the double swords from the rack, feeling their weight in my hands as I twirled them experimentally. I took down ten dummies easily and without breaking a sweat. As I beheaded the last dummy, I threw one of my swords through the bullseye of the knife throwing station and another one took off the head of one of the spear throwing dummies. I stood up and bowed low for the Gamemakers, who looked pleased.

"Thank you," I felt like I needed to say something, so that's what came out. I then turned and walked to the elevators, getting in and hitting the button for 10. When I reached the 10th floor and stepped out, I was bombarded with questions from Sicca and Whip about how the sessions went.

"I thought it went okay," I told them uneasily. I past them and came into the living room to see Finnick spread lazily on the couch, talking to Axel. I glanced back and forth between them. "Is this going to become a habit?" Finnick looked up and something flickered in his eye, but was gone almost as soon as it was there. I knew what it was too, and I almost winced at my use of the word habit. A reminder that I only had a couple hours of freedom left.

"Would you like it to be?" He asked with a wink. I just rolled my eyes and grinned, passing Axel without a word and sitting on the other side of Finnick, far away from Axel. "Am I missing something here?" Finnick was looking back and forth between Axel and I.

"No, nothing," I covered quickly, grabbing the remote and turning on the television where our scores would be broadcasted. Finnick snatched the remote out of my hand and turned it off. "Finnick!" I cried, reaching over him to try to wrestle the remote from him. He wrapped his free arm around my waist securely and kept me from going anywhere. "Give me the remote!" I was beginning to laugh as I tried to grab his arm and pull the hand towards me. Unfortunately for me, Finnick was strong.

"Tell me what happened!" Finnick mimicked my voice with a high pitched whine. "You know how I love secrets, Cels" I wrapped one arm around his neck to try to gain support as I wriggled out of his grip on my waist. "Fine, if you won't tell, I guess I'll have to make you,"

"Like you could," I mock scoffed, with fake superiority. Finnick let out a dramatic gasp that made me giggle a bit.

"Is that a challenge?" I looked at him only to realize he had an devilish glint in his eye that made me rethink my next words.

"No?" I offered, and he grinned mischievously. "No, no, Finny, don't you dare! No-" I attempted to scramble back away from him, but he caught me with his other hand, which no longer held the remote. He began to tickle me, and I had no choice but to helplessly shriek with laughter.

"Celeste was flirting with the Career," I gasped in surprise as Axel gave in. Finnick's hands froze, and the last of my laughter ceased as I pushed Finnick's frozen fingers away and scrambled into sitting position on the couch next to him.

"No I didn't!" I snapped at Axel, who glared back.

"Really? Because that's what it looked like to everybody else!" Axel snapped back with a surprising amount of hostility.

"I was trying to protect you! You just had to go and-" My voice was rising as anger boiled my blood.

"It wasn't my fault! I was just sitting there! He attacked me!" Axel's voice rose to a yell.

"Whoa! Whoa! Time out! Hold up," My breathing was shaky as Finnick interrupted, looking at Axel. "Tell us what happened," Us? I glanced up to realize Whip and Sicca were standing there with varying levels of shock on their faces.

"I was just standing there, trying to tie a knot while the trainer showed me how; I was minding my own business when the tribute from 2 comes up and starts yelling at me about a knife! He thought I took his knife, but I didn't," He added pointedly, sending me a look. Finnick put his hand over my mouth as I started to add something. "Then, out of nowhere, Celeste comes and starts to tell him to calm down, and as soon as she comes he starts to get a bit better," I glare at him. That was not what happened. "He's still yelling, and trying to get to me even though the peacekeepers are holding him back. Then, Celeste goes right up to him. RIGHT UP to the trained killer," He added unnecessarily for emphasis. "And puts her hand on his shoulder," At this point he blushes slightly, like he's embarrassed to even tell this part of the story. "And starts whispering in his ear, and just like that he backs off." There was silence, and then Finnick started laughing.

"Celeste! Am I rubbing off on you after all?" He removed his hand from my mouth.

"It was not like that! He was threatening to come after Axel in the arena, so I had to do something! And when I whispered to him I just told him his anger could be seen as a weakness by other tributes."

"Then what did he whisper back?" Axel questioned, which caused me to glare at him heatedly. The little twerp knew I didn't want to answer that.

"He whispered something back?" Finnick looked to me with an excited curiosity.

"It was nothing. Just drop it," Finnick opened his mouth to say something when I gave him a look that shut him up and put a serious face on.

"Well, I have my own tributes to be getting back to," Finnick reluctantly got to his feet and with one more crooked smile, disappeared down the hallway to the elevators. I switched on the screen just as Caesar was beginning to introduce the tributes and their scores. I glanced at Axel and then back in the direction Finnick had gone and swallowed hard. Since when did everything get so complicated?


	7. Scorings, Interviews, and Surprises

****Review Please! The next chapter is the Games! Feedback is welcome! Thanks so much for reading this! I love you all!****

_Scorings, Interviews, and, Surprises_

"As you know," The voice of Caesar was cheerfully announcing. "The tributes are rated on a scale from one to twelve after three days of careful evaluation. But enough about the boring details!" He began to grow more excited now as he turned the page and briefly read it. He looked back up at the camera with an award winning smile. "From District 1, Marvel, with a score of…" An image of Marvel hovered to the right of Caesar, looking smug. "Nine," The number nine circled Marvel's image. "Glimmer….eight," Glimmer's annoying face as she smiled, and an eight circled her. Eight wasn't that good for a Career tribute; she won't be happy.

"Cato…" I caught myself leaning forward as his smirking face appeared on the screen. "Ten," I chewed on the inside of my cheek; that wasn't good for me. "Clove with a score of ten," Clove's small, dark haired face replaced Cato's while a ten circled it. The district 3s both got a five, which was not good in the slightest. They wouldn't be a problem. The district 4 male got an eight while the female received a four. The smart girl I saw from 5 received a five, which I think was underestimating her. The others went by without much, most of them scored in the 4-6 range.

"From District 10, Axel…" We waited with baited breath as Caesar consulted his paper, looking back up. "With a score of seven," There were consolidations given to him, but nothing really mattered at that point; he scored a seven. Everyone quieted as Caesar went on, "Celeste with a score of…" He glanced down at his paper twice; his face betraying his surprise. "Eleven," I frowned as everyone yelped and cheered around me. I just shook my head as they patted me on the back, and Sicca clapped. Whip was the only one not celebrating, and instead looking thoughtful and sad. I shushed them, saying I wanted to hear the other scores.

"From District 11, Thresh with a score of ten!" That was to be expected by his build and agility that was displayed in the training center. "Rue with a score of seven," I grinned; that was good considering she was one of the younger tributes. "District 12, Peeta," I leaned forward to hear what he would get. "Eight," I nodded, but kept my attention on the screen. "Katniss with a score of…eleven," I sucked in a breath; that did not bode well for us. The screen was shut off, and there was more cheering by Sicca and Xlemone. Even Axel congratulated me. My eyes found Whip's, and I knew that it wasn't good.

"Why? Why would they do that? I didn't do anything special. I mean, I threw some knives and the double swords, but that was it. I'm sure I did nothing Cato or Clove didn't do,"

"Well, they must've liked your swords-"Xlemone started only to be interrupted by Whip. "No," He was frowning at the black screen. "They want to put a target on your back for the other tributes. Snow wants you dead, which means you will have to work twice as hard to win. Be prepared for the worst in there, Celeste. Have you chosen allies yet?"

"Katniss," I spoke numbly. "She's already agreed," He just shook his head; his eyes flicking from the screen to me.

"The Careers will be after you no matter what," He added that last part, looking right at me with an annoying glint in his eye. He was talking about Cato. "Just be careful in there."

"Oh, stop it, Whip!" Sicca admonished. "Enjoy the moment," She continued in her airy voice, and I couldn't help but smile when she smiled excitedly. "Now, go take a shower and get ready for tonight. Big, BIG night tonight!" I got up and excused myself to my room. The shower felt nice, I had to admit. Afterwards, I was put into a robe and ushered into a room where Xlemone was waiting for me.

"You'll be wearing flames again, my dear, but I decided to run with your nickname! Can you believe what their calling you?" She was rambling to me.

"Wait, what are they calling me?" I questioned in surprise.

"The Capital's Saving Grace! When I dressed you up for the chariots, a lot of people took it to mean you were defending them! You are the Capital's Darling, Celeste! And an eleven! You are going to get so many sponsors!" She rambled on as she took out the dress and helped me into it. There weren't any mirrors, but from what I could see, it was a gorgeous dress. It was a soft white, and it was simple and fell to my ankles. The bodice was tight, and the gown loosened at my hips to fall freely. They worked some sweet smelling, jello like substance through my hair. They only put the substance on certain parts of my hair, making me think they were probably highlighting my hair with the cold goo. Then they did my make up, which I had to close my eyes for, so I had no idea what colors they were using or what I might look like afterwards.

"There!" I opened my eyes to look at Xlemone, who had her hands clapped together and was almost in tears. "You look stunning! If he doesn't like you already, that boy is going to fall in love with you now!" I felt my cheeks heat up again with frustration, anger, and a bit of embarrassment.

"There is nothing going on! He's a Career! He'd just as soon kill me as kiss me," She just winked at me, and steered me towards the mirror. "Xlemone, I'm serious, he-" I stopped short when I caught sight of my reflection. I was stunning. What I had thought had been a plain, white dress was anything but. It was strapless and tight, making me look older and much prettier with curves I didn't even know I had. Every time I moved or shifted, the dress would give off a slight, golden shimmer, giving me a whimsical appearance as if I might be an angel in one of those fairytales my sister used to read to me. The cold goo that they had been working through my hair was golden in color and fell in equally distributed streaks down my hair. The gel didn't start at the top of my head, but instead, formed a circle around the crown of my head and fell from there. My gaze traveled to my face where my make up was equally well done. My lips looked full and pink and there was just the perfect amount of blush that I didn't look too pale. I couldn't help smiling excitedly.

"Do you like it? You look gorgeous!" She squealed, looking into the mirror at my reflection. I did indeed look gorgeous. "Now, their are flames again tonight, but this time they are different from Katniss', so when the time comes, I need you to twirl once. That's what will set it off." I glanced warily at her.

"Set what off?" She just smiled knowingly at me.

"You'll see! The capital's going to love it!" She squealed again, clapping her hands together. I grabbed her arm to stop her as the other make up artists left. She looked at me in confusion.

"In the drawer of my room I left five envelopes. If I-" The words caught in my throat, and she gripped my hand tightly, tears were visible in her eyes now. She nodded, swallowing loudly.

"I will. I will, don't you worry. You just worry about coming back to us, okay? I'll have your interview dress all finished when you return, so you can look as stunning for the closing as you do know."

"Promise." It was more of an plea than an order. Xlemone seemed to understand I wasn't talking about the dress. She nodded again at me.

"Of course, Dear. I promise. Come on, we should go join Whip and Axel," And she began ushering me to the living room where Axel and Whip sat waiting. He stopped mid sentence when he saw me, and looked me over once and then grinned.

"You look great," He stuttered nervously, shifting his weight. I didn't blame him; I was starting to get nervous as well for the interviews. He looked handsome though. He was wearing a white suit that was lined with gold and complemented my dress, which I'm sure was planned.

"Well, someone cleans up nice," Whip grinned as my gaze moved to him. "You look stunning, Darling." I smiled genuinely at him.

"Thank you, Whip," And then I got down to business. "Have you started discussing Axel's angle?"

"I'm going with boyishly adorable," He gave me a dimpled smile that caused me to laugh. "We were more concerned about you're angle," His next words caused the smile to drop.

"You are going to be fierce and ready to defend the Capital. You want to say stuff about how your life has been hard. Add stuff about your family, make them empathize with you." I stiffened as he brought up my family. "I know it's hard for you to talk about, but you have to try. Also, Cato," I stiffened even more and glared. "I know, but you have to lead him on. I've been thinking and having him starting to have feelings for you will work to your advantage in the arena." I chewed my lip.

"You mean play him," I clarified, and Whip gave me a nod.

"If he has feelings for you that could make him a potential ally if the going get's rough, which it will. Also, if it comes down to the two of you; he might hesitate a bit, which would allow you to get the upper hand and finish him off," I paled at his words. Finish him off? I didn't want to charm someone just so I could finish him off! I glanced at Axel to see him looking white as a sheet. "I know this is hard to hear, but-"

"What do I say?" I interrupted him determinedly. I didn't care. I couldn't care anymore. I was getting out of that arena.

"Work it in. Mention that someone in the Games may be more important than the rest. Makes you feel different. Lead him into it. Caesar's very good; he'll pick up on the slightest hint." Xlemone came bustling into the room, caring sparkling golden shoes.

"Shoes! Shoes!" She took my hand to help my balance and slipped the four inch heels on. I didn't wear heels very often, but I could pull it off if need be. I'd attended enough capital balls for me to be comfortable in heels. Okay, maybe not comfortable, but I could act comfortable if I needed to, which I did. "Come on! We have to get you downstairs!" The elevator ride was spent in a short silence. When I got off the elevator, I saw that most of the tributes were already there. They all turned to look at me as I got off, holding my head high and my back straight. Look ready to defend. Look ready to defend. I met each tributes eyes calmly, without blinking. Cato was looking me up and down with a hungry look in his eye. It was the same look that Finnick had so dismissively called lust four days prior. It wasn't until his gaze reached my eyes that I realized how handsome he looked. His golden hair was pushed back, making his icy eyes even more prominent. He wore a blue suit that made him look mature and made my heart flutter a bit no matter how hard I tried to suppress it.

I worked hard to keep my face neutral, and forced my gaze to slide past him to Marvel, who also looked pretty good in his suit, and who was also looking me up and down with an appreciative smile on his face. Past him was Glimmer, who was glaring at me with a petty anger and was wearing a completely see-through gold dress; easy to see what her angle was. Glimmer came to stand between Cato and Marvel and hit them both sharply on the shoulder while Clove, who wore a blue dress that ended a little above her ankles, barely spared me a dark eyed glance.

Axel and I sat down as the elevator dinged open revealing Katniss and Peeta. They sat a little ways away, but didn't converse at all. Instead I could almost feel the awkward silence from my seat. I scanned the room again, trying to pick apart tributes and their angles. I caught Cato looking at me again, this time over the top of Glimmer's head. Glimmer hit him and snapped something, pouting. Marvel laughed at whatever Glimmer had said, and she turned a glare on him. Clove pulled Cato to the side, and he finally looked away from me and focused on her. I frowned as she began talking heatedly, using hand gestures and glaring. It was almost comical to see the fifteen year old female tribute who couldn't have been more than five foot four admonishing the eighteen year old male tribute, who was over six foot.

I decided to focus on something more pressing, like angles. Right, angles. Focus. The ginger tribute from five was definitely cold and calculating. She was smart, which would get her far, but if it came down to a one on one fight she didn't stand a chance against most of these tributes. She would do what she needed to do to win. Then there was Thresh, who was probably going with silent and curt. Rue looked the picture of innocence in her gossamer gown. She had wings to go with it, and she looked so adorable it made my heart hurt. I smiled as she caught my eyes, and then, hesitantly, she made her way over to me.

"You look beautiful," She told me smiling shyly, and I couldn't help but smile back at her.

"Thank you. You look stunning Rue." Her face lit up, and she spread her arms, causing the wings to spread as well. I let out a soft laugh and brushed my fingers along the soft downy feathers. "Very pretty," She giggled. "I saw your training score, Rue. That was really something," She smiled and nodded.

"Your training score was amazing!" She told me, her face falling a bit, and I mentally kicked myself for bringing it up.

"Do you want to sit with us?" Axel was the one that asked the question, and Rue's face lit up. She nodded excitedly and sat next to us. We watched the screen as Glimmer exited, and Marvel entered. Marvel used a light, joking tone as his angle. He and Caesar laughed it up and there weren't many serious questions that Marvel didn't crack jokes about. I even smiled once or twice at his odd sense of humor. Clove went next, also using the cold, calculating tribute angle. Then came Cato.

"From District 2, Cato!" There was cheering as the screen showed Cato walked onto the stage cockily. They shook hands firmly, and both took their seats on the comfortable, white chairs provided. Cato leaned back with a comfortable, at ease look, which I envied.

"So, Cato, do you feel your ready for the Games?" Caesar asked, carefully avoiding the subject of training for it.

"It's an honor representing my district," He spoke, looking out at the crowd. "I'm ready to do whatever is necessary,"

"You're a fighter?" Caesar prompted.

"I'm prepared, vicious. I'm ready to go." He sounded so sure of himself. Damn it. The sponsors were going to eat that up.

"So, Cato, I have to ask. Earlier, the Gamemakers let slip that there might be a certain special tribute?" The crowd roared it's approval of the question as Caesar added, "I think everyone deserves to know, huh?" He turned to the crowd, who was nearly hysterical with whoops and hollers. He could be talking about Glimmer. I'd seen her flirting with him constantly during training.

"Well, Caesar, there is one," Here he sighed, looking down as if feeling sorry for someone, "but she doesn't want to admit it," Excuse me? The crowd roared again.

"Do you think that this will affect you during the Games?" Caesar calmed the crowd down with his question.

"Like I said, Caesar, I'm vicious and ready to go. Nothing's going to stop me," He looked right at the crowd, and I got a sudden chill.

"Well, alright then," The timer rang, and the two stood. Caesar took hold of Cato's wrist and raised his arm into the air. "Cato!" There was loud cheering and Cato exited the stage. I tore my eyes from the screen and glanced around to see the other tributes looking at me. Was it really that obvious? That really did not bode well for me at all. And how dare he make me look like a weakling, who couldn't 'admit' it to herself. Last time I checked he was the one who bolted off that roof. Not me. Him. I glanced down at Rue, who was looking up at me with wide eyes.

"Are you nervous for this?" I asked, trying to get my mind off the subject. She nodded vigorously. "You shouldn't be. The capital is going to love you. Don't worry."

"I'm not going to get sponsors." She told me sadly, and my heart broke for her.

"You just have to show them that your worth sponsoring," I told her confidently. Why was I doing this? I shouldn't be giving her hope. If she does make it out of that arena I'll be dead. So will Axel. And Katniss. And Peeta. And Cato. Why did I care about him? Why did I care about any of them? I needed to focus on getting myself out of the arena. The tributes went by slowly, yet too fast. I got increasingly nervous for my interview until I was toying with my dress. A hand grabbed mine and stopped me from playing with it. Axel wasn't looking at me, but his hand clutched mine tightly. I squeezed his hand back and returned my attention to the screen where the tribute from nine was finishing. I got up and followed the tall male avox to the stage.

"From District 10, our Capital's very own Saving Grace, the lovely and fierce Celeste Greenwich!" I stepped onto the stage and walked in carefully measured steps over to Caesar, who greeted me with a large smile. He took my hand in both of his and kissed it tenderly before we both took our seats.

"Welcome, Celeste, welcome. I think we were all shocked when you were reaped," I offered him a sad smile, which he returned. "I'm not ashamed to admit, I almost cried. Did any of you have that experience as well," The crowd roared with approval. "We've known you since you were a child,"

"Well I'm not a child any more, Caesar," I spoke, my voice laced with determination and pride. "The Capital is my home, and you were all my family when I had none." I knew that would get them, and sure enough, Caesar put a hand over his heart. "I am going to win these Games, not just for District 10, but for the Capital as well."

"That was touching," Caesar sniffed, looking out over the crowd. They screamed their love and affection, "But, come now, we only have three minutes, and I'm sure there is one question everyone is dying to know." I took a deep breath waiting for it, "Are you…" He looked over the crowd dramatically, "the 'she' Cato was talking about?"

"Well, Caesar, I'm not entirely sure. I think that's a better question for Cato to answer," Caesar laughed while I smiled, trying to hide my nervousness. "I will say this though, there _is _a tribute that makes my heart flutter," I smiled softly as if remembering a good time. The crowd awwwed, and Caesar followed their lead.

"Is it Cato? Can't we get a name?" I shook my head and laughed lightly.

"Come on, Caesar. I have to leave something for the arena," He laughed along with me and sighed in resignation.

"Now, I think we were all stunned when you came out of that chariot on fire!" The crowd cheered in agreement, and I laughed.

"Actually," I told him still smiling. "I do have a bit of surprise for you all," Caesar looked at the crowd in astonishment as I rose to face them and took a deep breath, searching the crowd for a familiar face. I found Finnick's sea green eyes and focused on them. I twirled once sharply, keeping his eyes as a point to look at so I didn't get dizzy. I glanced up at the screen, and my heart stopped. The gel streaks in my hair were blazing with fire and it formed a halo around my head, so my angel image was complete. I held a determined face as I gazed over the crowd and they screamed their approval. The fire slowly dwindled until there was nothing, the golden streaks were no longer running through my hair.

"Wow, wow. WOW!" Caesar repeated, looking over the crowd as I sat back down. "That was something! I-I have to say, I was not expecting that!" He laughed delightedly and much of the audience joined in. "Thank you, Celeste," He put both hands on mine, and I knew what he was about to ask. "We were all heartbroken when your sister decided to leave for the Capital. She may well be watching us, now. What do you think she'd say to you if she could see you now?"

"She would tell me if I didn't win she is going to kill me." I laughed lightly, and Caesar joined in immediately. "And I would tell her that I would try my best." I spoke determinedly and looked out over the hushed crowd.

"Well, I think I speak for all of us when I say Good Luck, Celeste." The timer dinged and I stood, my arm raised as the audience cheered. "Celeste Greenwich! The Capital's Victor!" I grinned as Caesar said those last words. Then I was walking off the stage and into the waiting room with elevators and tributes talking with their mentors. Only the 9s were there, and I was welcomed loudly by Sicca and Whip.

"Congratulations, Dear! You were marvelous!" She told me in her high pitched, airy tone.

"They loved you, Capital's Victor," Whip grinned at me, flashing a thumbs up. I grinned back in relief that it was over. I watched Axel do his bit, and he was, for the most part, quiet and gave off a frightened vibe that didn't bode well for him.

"Now, Axel, when you were reaped," I saw him stiffen slightly at the mention of his reaping. "Your district partner, Celeste, hugged you, and I think we were all very moved." He looked out at the crowd, who cheered there agreement. "What is the relationship you have with her?"

"I've only been here three days, but Celeste showed me kindness from the beginning. I don't have a sister back home, but if I did…" He trailed off a bit, and when he began speaking again, his voice was stronger and more sure. "If I did I imagine she'd be something like Celeste." A gentle smile made it's way onto my face, and I couldn't help feeling touched at the sincerity in his voice. The crowd was awing, and Caesar put a hand over his heart again.

"But tell me, won't that pose a problem in the arena? After all, you are both tributes," He shook his head, and his eyes found the camera and focused on it, almost like he was looking right at me.

"I don't know how things will end, Caesar, but I will defend Celeste until I stop breathing." That shocked me. He shouldn't make a promise like that. He shouldn't have to make a promise like that. Whip. I spun around and glared at Whip, advancing on him.

"You told him to say that!" I snapped at him, rage turning my vision crimson. "No, I didn't," Whip stated numbly, looking just as shocked as I had felt. "I didn't know he was going to say that." Axel's timer buzzed, and Caesar thanked him. The room was silent as he entered. Then we silently made our way to the elevator, and silently rode it up to the third floor. Dinner was laid out for us when we got out of the elevator, and I changed quickly. An Avox had to help me with removing my make up, and showing me what lotions I should use. When I came out of my room, dinner was already in progress, and I took a seat next to Axel. I dug in to the pork and mashed potatoes hungrily. I learned that Peeta had confessed his crush on Katniss in front of all of Panem; I imagine Katniss loved that. When we'd finished, the avoxes took away our plates and dishes and placed a cake on the table while filling everyone's glasses with orange liquid. Axel curiously started to bring the glass to his lips, but I put my hand on it, shaking my head.

"Don't," I whispered. "One glass of that'll get you drunk as Old Margret," He descended into laughter, and I had to take the glass from him to stop him from spilling it everywhere. Old Margret was an old woman from 10 who was notorious for passing out in the streets or sitting alone in the liquor store, buying drink after drink until the owner kicked her out.

"This is amazing!" I glanced at Axel to see him wolfing down his piece of cake in large mouthfuls. I grinned at him as I ate mine just as fast; it was amazing. Afterwards there were toasts, and I excused myself, going to the elevator. I wanted to be alone. The roof was the one place I could go to be alone. When I got there, it was deserted thankfully. Though, for some reason, a small part of me was disappointed. Finnick wasn't coming tonight. He probably had a client to go to. He always did the night before the Games to get sponsors for his tributes. I walked to the edge of the roof and looked down over the Capital. The height was dizzying, and the view was breathtaking. None of that mattered anymore. With a jolt, I realized this may be the last time I'm ever up here. No. It won't be. Because I'm gonna win. I heard a light breath behind me, and I whirled around, deadpanning my face. Cato was standing there with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face.

"You!" I snapped, advancing on him. His smirk widened, but he didn't move backward. Instead, he just looked at me as I went right up to him and jabbed my finger at his chest. "You embarrassed me!" I glared at his stupid, infuriatingly sexy smirk. "You good for nothing-"

"I never said your name," He interrupted me, dancing around the subject. "You were the one that admitted I make your heart flutter," He told me, smirking again. Suddenly, I laughed and took a step away from him, making him frown warily.

"You?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "I never said it was you,"

"It's me," He dismissed confidently, and I refused to let him see how much his arrogance irritated me.

"It could be Peeta," I reasoned thoughtfully. "Peeta's handsome enough. Or Marvel. He's very good looking." I could see my words beginning to get under Cato's skin. "Marvel could be making my heart flutter,"

"It _is_ me," He growled, advancing, which forced me to take steps back until my legs hit the cool metal of the railing. He loomed over me threateningly, but I didn't back down from his glare.

"If you don't have feelings for me, then why are you getting angry when I'm telling you I have feelings for Marvel?" I questioned, still not backing down even though he towered over me, and it was all I could do not to shake with fear.

"Because you don't have feelings for Marvel. You have feelings for me," He put his hands on the railing on either side of my waist and leaned slightly against them. His face was now inches from mine, and I could feel his breath on my cheek. That's when the warning bells went off in my head. Unfortunately, his blue eyes were captivating, and I found it hard to look away. His eyes flicked from my eyes to my lips, and he licked his lips.

"I-I have to go," I stammered out, tearing my eyes from his and pushing away his arm, which fell to his side. I tried to push past him, but he grabbed my arm to stop me, spinning me around to face him.

"Join the Careers," The question surprised me. So that was what all this had been about. He was trying to get me to join the Careers. Probably because of my eleven in training.

"No," I stated coldly, trying to wrench my hand from his grip, but his grip tightened as he gave a frustrated sigh.

"Why not?" He snapped at me. "It's your best chance!"

"Why do you care if it's my best chance?" I snapped back at him. "I can take care of myself,"

"How? By being on your own in the arena? You need someone to watch your back!" He was yelling now, and I found my anger rising.

"Who said I was on my own?" I asked loudly and angrily.

"So, what? You and that bitch from 12?" The fact that he'd figured it out so easily threw me a bit, but I managed to gather my wit enough to yell back.

"_Katniss_ isn't a bitch!" I defended her.

"Why do you have to be so stubborn?" I vaguely wondered if Haymitch could hear us his floor.

"Why do you care?" My rage boiled over, and I shoved him in the chest with both hands. "Why do you care if I join the Careers?" He grabbed both my wrists and glared down at me as I struggled to get out of his grip.

"Because if you don't I'm going to have to kill you!" That stopped me cold. My breathing slowed, and I swallowed hard. "If you don't join the Careers and I see you in the arena, I'm going to kill you," His words sent a chill up my spine, and without another word, he stalked past me and into the elevator. I just stood there numbly for what seemed like eternity before finally turning and going down the elevator to my floor. I walked down the hallway and closed the door to my room. Then, I quickly changed into pajamas, and slipped into bed. Sleep didn't come. Not that I was surprised. At this time tomorrow I could be dead. That lovely thought ruined sleep for me for the rest of that night. I got up and softly crept through the hallway until I got to Axel's room. I opened the door as gently as I could in case he was sleeping. He wasn't. He jerked his head up when I came in, and just looked at me. Without thinking, I crossed the room and slipped under the covers with him.

"I don't need you to comfort me," He told me a bit defensively. "I'm not fragile,"

"Good," I told him. "Because I had a nightmare, so I need you to return my favor." I tried to keep from crying. I hated feeling this helpless, but there was nothing I could do!

"You realize I'm fourteen, right?" He asked jokingly. "You're four years older than me."

"Shut up and comfort me," I replied with a bit of a smile pulling at my lips.

"What was your nightmare about?" He asked after a moment.

"I got reaped for the 74th Hunger Games," He let out a soft chuckle.

"That sounds terrible." He went along with it, and I laughed a bit.

"It was." I managed to speak solemnly, and then, "You didn't have to do that today,"

"Yes, I did." He replied without a thought.

"I can't ask you to do that for me-"

"Celeste," He interrupted me gently. "Shut up and except my help."

"Okay," I responded in a small voice. Minutes passed in a comfortable silence before I talked again, "I never had a younger brother," I began cautiously, "But if I did, I imagine he'd be something like you," Axel shifted by my side and took my hand, gently squeezing it.

"Thank you," He murmured sleepily. I gave his hand a squeeze in return and waited a couple more minutes before rising. I planted a kiss on top of his head, smoothing his brown curls before heading for my room. I needed to sleep. I'd barely gotten any the night before, and I suddenly felt very tired. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I slipped into a dreamless sleep.


	8. 3,2,1 Kill

****Thank you so much for reading guys! Let the Games begin!****

_3...2...1...Kill_

I woke up that morning refreshed. I would've thought I would have nightmares plague me the entire night, but my sleep had been blissfully dreamless. I took a long shower, and one glance at the clock showed it was six o'clock. Xlemone should be coming in any second now. Sure enough, the door opens a moment later, and she steps through carrying an outfit for me to wear. I throw on the t-shirt and baggy, brown pants, knowing that this wasn't what I was going to be wearing in the arena. Xlemone wordlessly leads me to the hovercraft I'll be riding to the arena on. A ladder drops down from inside, and I grab the cold metal. Instantly, a current rushes through my body, freezing my muscles. Once I'm safely inside the hovercraft, a woman dressed in a white lab coat inject something that beeps into my forearm.

"It's your tracker," She explained as the ladder released me, and I stretched my arms and legs, making sure everything still worked properly. "Wouldn't want you getting lost down there." She let out a laugh then, and I fought the urge to glare at her. God forbid I get lost in the arena. Xlemone grabs the ladder as well and is pulled into the hovercraft. Then, an Avox boy comes and leads us to the breakfast room. My stomach turns over nauseatingly at the sight of food, but I swallow as much as I can anyway. You never know how much food you'll be getting in the arena so best to stock up now. The ride lasts for half an hour, and it's half an hour of silence. I work on calming my nerves by breathing deeply and focusing on what I do after I get into the arena.

When I arrive on the pedestal, my first move will be to look for Katniss. If I can't find her then I look for a bag near the outskirts of the clearing. No doubt, Haymitch told Katniss to get out of the Cornucopia as fast as she can. It'll turn into a bloodbath the second the gong rings, so I should look for the bag closest to me. I swallowed, wondering what the arena will be this year, and shivered at the thought of it being like the 67th Games, where there was just ice and snow. Most of the tributes that year died from hypothermia. I had been friends with a girl that year. Tess. I hadn't thought about her in what seemed like forever. She'd been fifteen when she was reaped from District 9. She had allied with a boy from 5 and made it to the final six tributes before slowly freezing to death during the night while I sat on Haymitch's couch and watched in horror. The hovercraft stopped short, sending me out of my harsh memories and into reality. Xlemone and I head back to the ladders, which now lead into tubes to the catacombs. We followed the woman's instructions until we reached my prep room, and I'm offered another shower, which I accept. It may be my last shower. It won't be. I'll get out of that arena. I have to. I shower quickly this time before brushing my teeth and returning to Xlemone. My mouth twitches as I recall what Jack used to call this room. The Stockyard. The stockyard in 10 is where animals go to be slaughtered. It was a cruel joke, and somehow it seems a lot less funny now that I'm here. I ran my hand over the wall, realizing that in two or three years Capital people may be coming here and touching this exact same wall, saying 'This was Celeste Greenwich's Launch Room! Can you believe it?'. I blinked those thoughts away and turned back to Xlemone.

An Avox delivers the package with my clothes in it, and I find myself slightly eager to see what's inside. One can tell everything just by looking at the clothes the tributes are being fitted into. Xlemone helps me into the tawny pants, and I do the belt as she pulls the form fitting, forest green blouse over my head. She stands back to admire me for a minute before pulling the last item, a thin, hooded ebony jacket that matched my hair, out of the wrappings. Once on, the jacket reached my thighs. It must be a one size fits all scenario.

"Now, you have your token, right?" Xlemone's question threw me a bit, but I nodded, remembering the anklet Jack had given me. Xlemone rambled nervously about a ring from the district 1 girl and something about a spike. I just nodded at her story without really listening. "Well, enough of that. Spin for me!" I oblige, and she claps her hands again. "You're so beautiful. I told your mother that, you know. I said, 'one day she's going to be beautiful!' And here you are!" I smiled softly at her, taking a seat on the couch and accepting the glass of water handed to me. I could be dead. In one day I could be dead. Nonexistent. Leaving everyone to pick up the sorry pieces of my life. My body could be on a hovercraft somewhere. Where would they take my body anyway?

"Haymitch," I spoke the word aloud, interrupting Xlemone, who was in the middle of describing a Game two years ago.

"What?" She asked in surprise.

"If I die," I spoke numbly, no tears stinging my eyes, and no lump in my throat making it hard to speak. "I want Haymitch to receive my body. And Finnick." When I looked at her, I saw she had tears in her eyes but was nodding. "And don't forget," She knew I wasn't talking about my body when I said that, so she nodded again. Then she came around me and started to sweep my hair into a ponytail. I felt something cool and metallic being pressed into my hair and frowned. Each tribute was only allowed one token from their district.

"From Finnick," Her whisper was barely audible even though her lips couldn't have been more than two inches from my ear. "He says you'd better come back." I took a deep, nervous breath in and then out, trying to relax myself. "He also said he's betting on you," A small tugged at my lips at her words. Mentors weren't allowed to bet, but they always did. Surprisingly, not all mentors bet on their tributes. They'd grown numb to the death and destruction, and they just saw it as a way to win money. Sometimes we played with secrets instead, considering how much money they had. I had been betting since I was six. I bet for Finnick during his Games, and everybody had laughed at me. Now he's returning the favor, except I very much doubt people are laughing at him.

"Tributes may enter the tubes," The robotic female voice announced, and I took another deep breath. Xlemone hugged me hard and kissed me on the forehead before I stepped into the tube.

"You are going to make it," She looked me right in the eye then, hers filled with a determination I'd never seen on anyone from the Capital ever. "You know why? Because you're a fighter." I was touched by her words, and I squeezed her hand.

"Thank you, Xlemone. For everything." I managed a small smile before letting go of her hand and watching the tube close around me. For a couple of seconds I'm encased in blackness, but then a blinding light filters through a small hole that gets bigger and bigger until I'm out in the open. I blink away the disorientation, and focus on the other tributes around me. I swallow hard as my eyes catch what I think is Cato's muscular form on the opposite side of the semicircle. Good. I'd like to start as far away from him and the others as I can get. Unfortunately, to my left is Glimmer and to my right is a boy I think I saw in training once or twice. He might be from 5… or maybe it's 7? I search for Katniss, but don't see her. The last of the tributes are up now.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Seventy-fourth Annual Hunger Games!" I swallowed nervously, and looked around the clearing again. This time I'm looking for useful packs that I should go for. There's one on the very outskirts of the clearing, and I think that's the one I have to go for. I search again and pinpoint all the Careers, making a mental checklist of where they're positioned. Finally I spot Katniss four pedestals down from me, and I catch her eye but quickly look away. No one can know we're in an alliance until we are actually in an alliance.

The sixty seconds have started. Don't move off until then or you'll find yourself blown to bits. There was a girl in the beginning that tried that. It was very graphic and very disturbing. I glance back at Katniss to see her eyeing the bow and arrow. No. No, she can't do that, the Careers would take her out in a second.

"40…39…38…37" If she goes, I have nothing to cover her with. I glance around again, but decide that I'll get the pack and then get Katniss and then get the hell out of dodge. Good plan.

"33…32…31…30" I shifted my feet, and took a deep breath, glancing around until my eyes rested on Axel, who was standing four down from Cato. Please let him run into the woods. God, please let him run off into the woods. I wasn't close enough to help him if something should happen to him. Another deep breath. Pack. Katniss. Out of dodge. Three point plan. My eyes find Cato's form again, and I'm momentarily distracted. His icy ones seem to bore right into mine. His eyes flick to the woods and back to mine. Then he mouths one word, and even though we're a good fifteen yards away I know what it was. 'Run'. His eyes looked so sad in that moment that I wanted to comfort him. I snapped myself out of it. Pack. Katniss. Out of dodge.

"20…19…18…17" Another deep breath, and I focus entirely on the pack. There's a knife beside it. Really it's more of a small dagger, but if I snatch it up first I can defend myself against someone who also had the same idea.

"13…12…11…10" Final countdown now. I'm fast. Fast enough to get to the pack first. I was ready for this. I had to watch out for Clove and Marvel. Clove would grab the knives first and start picking off tributes. I was on the top of her list and so was Katniss.

"5…4…3…" I took another deep breath and readied myself to sprint.

"2…1" The gong sounded, and it was havoc. I hadn't anticipated Glimmer letting out a scream of fury and flying off her pedestal, tackling me to the ground. I kneed her in the stomach and flipper her over, getting in a punch before she rolled me over and attempted to pin my arms with her feet. I moved my hands to grab the collar of her shirt and swing her around so she was next to me on the ground. She scrambled up and came at me again, but this time I was ready. I bent my feet into my chest and released with everything I had. The result was both of my feet slammed full force into her stomach, sending her toppling backward gasping for air. I managed to get to my feet and start sprinting away. I was almost to the pack when another tribute, seemingly out of nowhere, grabbed the bag. I tripped him, sending him sprawling to the ground and grabbed the knife off the dirt.

I snatched the pack too, but the tribute desperately held onto it. It was the boy from 6. I tried desperately to wrench it from his grasp, but he held on and glared at me ferociously. That was when I caught sight of Marvel aiming a spear at us from the Cornucopia. He could make the throw easily; I'd seen him during training. He took a step and threw. Reacting on instinct, I swung the boy around, and the spear ran straight through him. The blood spattered all over my clothes and neck. I swallowed my repulsion and grabbed the bag, running for the trees, but keeping my eyes on Marvel, who had oddly enough turned away and was focusing on the tribute that was grappling with him for a spear.

I spared a single glance back, and my stomach churned when I saw the mouth of the Cornucopia littered with bodies. There was still much fighting going on, and the smart one's were already disappearing into the forest. I turned and sprinted away into the woods. I'd only been running for about a minute when two other people came out of nowhere and slammed into me, sending me into the dirt. My head snapped up, and I immediately recognized Katniss and the girl from 5. I was still clutching the knife I'd grabbed, and I shot to my feet in a crouch, brandishing it. The girl from 5 looked terrified as she glanced between Katniss and me.

"Run," I told her, grabbing Katniss' arm and pulling her behind me as I ran deeper. 5 didn't have to be told twice. Katniss regained her feet, and I released her arm as we bolted away from the death at the Cornucopia. We keep running like the Careers are on our tail, even though I was fairly certain they weren't. She was a good runner, but I could tell she was beginning to get tired. I saw the outline of another tribute in the distance and reversed direction with Katniss following close behind. My foot caught a root, and I went down, tumbling over the dirt and roots to land at the bottom of the hill. I struggled to regain my breath, putting my hands on top of my head. I scrambled to my feet, ignoring the sting I felt in my knee, which most surely meant I had scraped it. Katniss was beside me then, pulling me along by the arm as she ran. I sprinted after her, panting lightly now due to my sudden fall.

"Stop," I panted, grabbing her arm, and forcing her to stop along with me. She shifted uneasily, glancing around us as if something may jump out of the bushes and get us. I examined my knee to inspect the damage, but was confused when I saw a clean cut as if someone had done it with a knife. I did not… yes, I did. I glanced at the bloody knife in my hand. I'd accidentally cut myself while rolling down the hill. Classic Celeste.

"We should keep moving," Katniss argued impatiently, and I regarded her calmly.

"I agree, but we can walk now," I hurried to explain myself as she opened her mouth to disagree. "If someone attacks us, we need to have all our strength to run. If we're out of breath, we'll be overtaken easily." She seemed to be considering this, and finally she nodded.

"Fine, we'll walk," I nodded as she opened her pack, surveying the contents. I couldn't hold in my hiss of pain as I tried to move my knee again."I've got iodine," I was surprised to hear Katniss volunteer. "For your cut," She went on, and when I looked up she seemed to be scrutinizing me.

"It can wait until we stop for the night," I dismissed, stretching my leg, and holding in a yelp of pain. We walked for an hour or two in silence until she stopped and sat on a log, opening her bag. I sat next to her, doing the same. Neither of us dared to talk for fear other tributes were near by and would hear us. There were still many tributes alive as well, as many tributes dead. We both had rope in our packs as well as water bottles that were empty. _Thank you very much, Seneca, for all you're help_. She had some matches, and I found a knife along with some dried beef. We both had a thin sleeping bag that was designed for preserving body heat.

Boom. Both our heads shot up as the first cannon went off, signaling the blood bath was over and the Careers had moved on. Boom. That's two fallen. Boom. Three. The cannons continued as I counted out the tributes. Nine. Nine dead. I hoped Axel and Cato weren't in the dead. I shouldn't care about Cato. I hope Axel wasn't in the dead.

"We need to find water," Katniss spoke quietly, shoving the contents back into the pack and slinging it over her shoulder. I did the same and followed her. It was two more hours until I noticed the ground beginning to be moist and the moss that was growing over logs. We were getting close to water. We walked into a small clearing with a pond in the middle. The pond couldn't have been more than twelve feet across, but it was a welcomed sight. I filled my water bottle, acutely aware of the burning in my throat and the ache of my chapped lips. We waited thirty minutes for the water to filter before drinking greedily.

"We should rest here for the night," Katniss nodded in agreement, and started rummaging through her pack, pulling out the iodine and handing it to me.

"I'll make a snare in case another tribute comes." I accepted the iodine as she took her rope and walked a couple paces away to start tying tree branches together. I grabbed my sleeping bag and shoved it in my mouth to muffle my screams. I poured the cool liquid onto my cut and bit down hard on the fabric as it fizzled. My hand shook uncontrollably as I poured a bit more on. I had to make sure it was absolutely clean, so it didn't become infected. I dug my fingers into the soft dirt and made a fist, pulling up grass as I did so. When the stinging had died down, I took the cloth out of my mouth and sucked in large breaths of air. I then kicked off my boots and socks and shrugged off my jacket. The water felt good against my skin as I lowered myself into the pond. I felt the dried blood on my shirt loosen and disperse into the water.

Realizing the capital could have released some poisonous fish into the water or something, I quickly pulled myself out. I lay on the shore letting the sun dry me and listening to the sounds of the wilderness. It was immensely calming. It reminded me of when I used to visit Haymitch and Melody in District 12. They would take me to the woods behind the District, where the Capital couldn't see us and talk to me and to each other of a better life. Those summers were long ago. There was no better life waiting. A twig snapped to my left and I jackknifed to my feet, grabbing the dagger from my jacket, and turning to face a startled Katniss.

"You took a bath?" She asked incredulously, and I glanced down at my still slightly damp clothes.

"I needed to get the blood off. You could smell it." I told her, putting on my socks and boots as she nodded and held up a squirrel that she'd killed with a spear. I could feel my face light up, and she grinned. "We should cook it over coals. Fire would be to obvious." I gathered sticks and made a fire before promptly stamping it out. The skinned animal roasted fast, and it wasn't delicious, but it was food. After we'd eaten, Katniss stamped out the fire, and I packed the things back into the two bags.

"Climb different trees," I told her, putting on my jacket as it grew colder. I shoved the dagger up the sleeve of my jacket, in case someone attacked me. That would be useful. "If one of us get's caught the other won't," I fixed her with a wary look. She nodded, and a silent understanding past between us. If one of us was found, the other would do all she could if it was one tribute, but not if there were many of them. Not if it was the Careers. I climbed my tree until I felt I was a good distance from the ground before slipping the sleeping bag around me and tying myself to the tree.

I had dozed off when the sound of the anthem started playing. The boy from 4 was first. So Cato was okay. Of course he was; he was a Career. I shifted nervously, praying that Axel's face didn't appear in the sky. Boy from District 5. Both tributes from 6 and 7 are dead. Boy from 8. Both from 9. That's it. I relaxed in relief. Axel was alive. I had a hard time falling asleep after that. I small glow in the distance caused me to squint through the darkness. That was a fire. It was only maybe fifty yards away. I closed my eyes and tried to ignore it. Whoever it was was going to be dead in a matter of minutes anyway. I had just closed my eyes when a piercing scream shattered the peaceful silence of the night. I pressed my back against the rough trunk of the tree, and glanced at Katniss to see her looking at me, eyes wide. I swallowed and closed my eyes tightly as we heard her scream out pleas. Against my will, a tear made it's way down my cheek, and I took a deep breath, opening my eyes with renewed determination as the cannon sounded. There was laughter below us, and I turned back to Katniss, who was looking at me with fear. I slowly, so as not to make a sound, put a finger to my lips before glancing down at the five tributes below us.

"Oh, no! Please don't kill me!" Clove's loud, mockingly high pitched voice sounded from below us. "Oh, no!"

"That's a pretty good impression," Marvel laughed, and I could see Glimmer, grabbing onto Cato's arm as he shifted away slightly. I smirked, ignoring the anger I felt in my stomach.

"Hey, Lover Boy," Cato barked. My heart stopped as Peeta emerged from the forest. "You sure she went this way?" He must be leading them away from her. That's the only explanation.

"Yea, I'm sure," My eyes flicked to Katniss' face, which was contorted with anger, and then back down to Peeta and Cato.

"You better be," Cato muttered.

"Yeah," Peeta confirmed again, "That was her snare we found back there,"

"This is a waste of time," Glimmer whined. "We should be going after that Capital bitch,"

"No!" Cato snapped at her in anger. "I told you. We find 12 first." He pushed her aside as he stormed away. I couldn't help the satisfied smile that formed when I saw her stumble and almost fall.

"Are you sure we shouldn't just kill him now?" Glimmer insisted, hurrying to keep up with him.

"Nah, he's our best chance of finding her," Cato seemed to have calmed down a bit; he stopped as Glimmer stepped in front of him. The other tributes had gone on ahead, so it was just them left.

"Cato, what about the Capital bitch?" She whined again, and he slammed her into a tree with one forearm across her neck.

"I said no!" He growled, and I could feel Katniss' eyes boring holes in my head. I found myself unable to look away from the scene unfolding below us.

"You can't protect her just because she fluttered her eyes at you!" Glimmer snapped at him, all hints of flirtation suddenly gone.

"Who says I'm protecting her?" Cato asked, sounding almost surprised. Glimmer shifted unsurely as he moved off of her. "I'm waiting to kill her. She's going to scream," Glimmer broke into a smile then and laughed with delight.

"Good. Besides, she was obviously trying to use you," She had turned around already, so she didn't see the dark look Cato sent her. Eventually, their voices faded into the silence of the night, and the danger passed.


	9. Fire, Careers, and Jackers Oh, My!

****Review and tell me what you think so far! I'd really like to know what you think about the mentor part of it! I'm thinking about doing another one maybe in the next two chapters, so I'd really like to know what you think, more or less of Finnick, Haymitch, and the rest? Thank you all for your input!****

_Fire, Careers, and Jackers: Oh My!_

The mentors were gathered around the screens, watching the events of the 74th Annual Hunger Games about to begin. Claudius Templesmith was counting down the seconds until the Games officially began. Finnick was shifting from one foot to the other anxiously while Annie and Mags stood by his side. He briefly noticed the small, dolphin shaped pin that was protruding from Celeste's hair; the realization caused a smile to briefly grace his lips before it was gone. Annie had taken his hand and squeezed it gently, letting him know that she was there for him just like he had been there for her when she'd needed him. She liked Celeste. She really did; they were friends. She knew most of the Victors in the room were secretly hoping Celeste would win. Even if it meant giving Finnick one of their most deeply guarded secrets.

On his other side, Mags wrung her hands with nervousness and fear. She had known Celeste since she was born, and she'd been friends with her mother. Lovely woman. Haymitch was the worst of them all, pacing back and forth restlessly, not even knowing who to want to win. He did like Katniss and Peeta. He'd started out with a bad impression and told them that they were facing certain death, but somehow they had wormed their way into his heart despite his best efforts. He owed it to them, didn't he? He was required to help them. Needed to help them. He couldn't just abandon them to their own devices.

The screen zoomed in on each tribute in turn as the clock counted down. Cato looked bloodthirsty, Katniss looked uncertain, Peeta looked scared, Celeste looked determined. The girl beside Celeste had a glare fixed on her. She looked ready to kill at any moment, but Celeste never glanced at her.

"That spells trouble," Johanna cut through the tense silence. "Come on, Doll. Turn around. Just look at her," Johanna had always liked Celeste. She liked the girl's spunk, and she was only two years older than the kid when she'd gotten reaped. They'd become instant friends when Celeste had helped out at the training center. Celeste had been the only person to see right through Johanna's innocent act; according to Finnick, she was never even fooled. Celeste had bet on her during the 71st Hunger Games; it was a bit ironic that the youngest player wins the bet almost every year.

The gong sounded, and there was a sharp intake of breath from the Victors as the tributes started to run. Almost immediately the camera zoomed in on Celeste, who had taken two steps before being tackled by Glimmer. Finnick's breath hitched as they struggled, but the ghost of a smile couldn't help but twitch at Finnick's lips when Celeste kicked the bitch, sending her tumbling backward gasping. She got to her feet and ran for the pack, but another boy scooped it up first. She tripped him, and they fought.

"One!" Haymitch whispered, but he may as well have screamed it because everybody heard. "Come on, Darling, look at One!" That's when everyone else saw the boy with his spear raised, aiming for her. Whip took a sharp intake of breath as he threw the spear. Finnick's heart froze as the spear flew through the air. At the last moment, Celeste spun herself around, and the spear pierced 6s back. The audience gave a varying noises of relief as Celeste made it to the forest. The screen showed Katniss fighting with the boy from 9, and then switched to Cato and the other Careers killing off tributes. Another switch showed Celeste running and then a three way collision. Celeste popped to her feet, holding out the dagger threateningly. The girl from 5 swallowed in terror, her eyes flicking to the woods.

"Kill her," Johanna muttered, her eyes trained on the screen. "Come on, Doll, just kill her," Finnick glanced from the screen to Johanna and back. He guiltily agreed with her. Celeste needed to kill her, so she could come back to them. On screen, Celeste looked unsure, and finally looked right at the fifteen year old.

"Run," Was all she said as she grabbed Katniss' arm and took off again. Finnick sucked in a breath as Johanna swore. She was teaming up with 12? Of all people, 12?

"She's putting a target on her own back!" Johanna snapped angrily.

"They can handle it," Haymitch straightened with relief. "Have a little trust," He patronized her. They were safe. For now. That was all that mattered. They had survived the bloodbath.

-Hunger Games-

We had been walking for almost two days, and only the girl from 4 and the girl from 8 had died. One was probably from dehydration and the other was the Careers. That meant there were fourteen tributes left, and we were two. So that left eleven unaccounted for. Honestly, it was a miracle we'd gone two days without a single encounter; the arena must be bit this year. That or we were nearing the edge of the arena, which meant we were about to start running for our lives.

"We should stop," I suggested. "Make camp while we can still see our hand in front of our face."

"Fine, but this time your making the snares," I grinned, remembering how I laughed when all Katniss had caught was a butterfly in her snare this morning.

"As long as you do the skinning," I hated doing the skinning. It was just so gross and bloody; I couldn't do it.

"Deal," We hadn't talked much, and anything we did say was arena related. I'd forced her to eat some of her dried beef this morning because she'd almost collapsed for having not eaten in a day. I set up an simple trap that would ensnare the unsuspecting animal. I only had to wait a couple of minutes before I caught a rabbit.

"Caught one," I announced, and she moved to kill it and skin it while I pulled out my rope and sleeping bag. I started the fire and stamped it out so it was only burning coals left. She roasted the meal, and we ate. Afterwards, we set up in two different trees and leaned back to go to sleep as it started getting dark out. This had become something of a habit for us now like a well oiled machine. Something big was about to happen. President Snow must be getting bored. The anthem played, but there were no faces in the sky tonight. No one had died. My eyelids started drooping against my will, and I found myself nodding off.

"CELESTE!" I jumped at Katniss' scream, and I found myself gaping at a burning forest. I quickly undid the ropes that tied me to the tree and, shoving my supplies into my pack and shouldering it, I started climbing hurriedly down the tree, but in my rush, my foot slipped, and I fell the rest of the way down. I landed with a painful thud, my hand ending up on a burning mushroom. I yanked it away with a cry, and then Katniss was pulling me to my feet. She started running, and I wasted no time in sprinting after her. A moment later and we would have been fried extra crispy. Katniss skidded to a stop and dove to the side as a fireball melted the tree where her head had just been. I ran past her, relieved to hear her scrambling after me.

I cried out, skidding to a stop, but falling back as a fireball passed so close in front of me that I could feel the searing heat on my nose and cheeks. Recovering quickly, I ran in the other direction, urging my legs to pump faster despite my labored breathing. I caught a glimpse of Katniss' braid to my left, but was to terrified to even make a move toward her. There was a humongous crashing noise, and somehow I knew a tree had just fallen. I briefly wondered if it had crushed her. I cut over to the left to see her running towards me and pointing right.

"Go!" My voice sounded hoarse even to my own ears. I followed her as she ran parallel to the fallen tree. A fireball shot out of nowhere and hit Katniss in the leg. She went down with a cry of pain, crawling backwards into the shelter of some boulders. I glanced past her at my way out and then back at her, who was looking at me with fear and pain written on her face.

"Katniss!" I yelled as I realized there was another one coming right for her. I grabbed her jacket and yanked her out of the way, and tripping, sliding down another hill. This time, it worked in our favor, getting us further away from the hungry flames devouring the forest behind us. I wrenched her to her feet unceremoniously, and she stumbled but stayed standing upright. "Run!" We were inhaling smoke, and if we stayed here we'd pass out for sure. I pushed her ahead of me until she found her feet, and we started running in earnest. I felt hot and sticky with smoke and sweat; my lungs filled with more smoke with every breath I took. Then we were clear of the smoke and the fire, and I saw a river ahead. I almost cried with relief as I sunk into the cool, relaxing water. My hand stung, and I examined it to see it was burned, raw and bleeding. I winced as I stuck it back under the water, knowing that was the best thing for healing it.

"Thanks," Katniss spoke up as I rinsed the soot off my face and neck eagerly, taking deep, greedy gulps of fresh air.I glanced at her and started laughing a bit while she looked at me like I had gone off the deep end.

"No problem. Anytime," She laughed a bit at that. I downed my water bottle and filled it up with river water. My head snapped up as I heard laughter in the distance. I screwed the lid to my water bottle and shoved it in my pack. "Katniss, I think that's…" I trailed off as Cato emerged from the trees. He was quickly followed by a laughing Glimmer and Marvel. Clove and Peeta came into sight last, and I froze, knowing in my heart there was no way they wouldn't see us. They jumped up on the rocks that formed a bridge across the stream, and I knew we had to get out of the water now. I turned and started swimming as silently as I could toward the bank. I'd just reached it when I heard Marvel's excited voice loud and clear.

"There she is! Two of them!" He laughed, and I spun around, my eyes instantly finding Cato's. His smile disappeared, and his face paled a bit as Marvel slapped him on the back still obliviously laughing. I saw it in his eyes then: concern, fear for my safety. Fear caused a huge rush of adrenaline to course through my veins, and I was up on the bank, already starting to run into the woods.

"She is mine!" Glimmer yelled while the others laughed.

"Not if I get her first!" Cato's yell made more fear and more adrenaline shoot through me. "Where you gonna go?" I heard Katniss' footsteps not far behind me. We needed to climb a tree, so they couldn't get us.

"Katniss we need to climb!" There! That one. "Come on!" I lunged at the tree, climbing it swiftly and making it to the top while Katniss was only midway up.

"Someone found a pond!" They jeered us. They let out whoops and hollers as they came to the tree we were in. Come on, Katniss. My heart beat in my throat as she finally made it up to a branch lower than me and pressed herself against the trunk.

"Where you going, baby?" Cato shouted as they looked up at us, morbid excitement dancing in their eyes. More hoots and whoops. I was luckier than Katniss was, I realized. The branch that I was sitting put the trunk of the tree between me and the bloodthirsty Careers. "Oh way to go, Girl on Fire!" Cato mocked her. I could hardly belief that this was the same boy that I'd been about to kiss three nights ago. The same boy I had kissed four nights ago.

"Come on down, Capital Bitch!" Glimmer added loudly, and I saw Cato's hand tighten on his sword as his eyes flicked to Glimmer and then back up to the tree. He didn't say anything.

"At least I'm not Cato's Bitch!" I couldn't help but shout down at them, and I was satisfied to see Glimmer's face go red.

"I'm going to kill her," She growled, stringing her bow, and aiming.

"No!" Cato snapped at her, and the Careers looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. "Don't waste your arrows. She's mine," He practically growled at them before going to the tree and grabbing a low hanging branch. Cato struggled to climb the tree, and it was immediately clear he was no expert in that area. Nervously, I climbed to an even higher branch near the top of the tree with Katniss following. I heard a snap and the thud of Cato hitting the ground. I couldn't help shifting my weight to see if he was okay. I also couldn't help feeling a small sense of relief when he pushed himself angrily to his feet. He was trying to kill me. I was sure of it. If I fell out of the tree and survived, he would snap my neck like a twig…or run me through with his sword. So, why did I feel like that? Why did I feel like I needed to make sure he was okay? Cato caught my eye and smirked, but it wasn't the smirk that had made my heart flutter on the roof. This smirk held something dark and twisted, and I had to look away from him. My eyes caught Peeta's instead, and he swallowed nervously, glancing to Katniss and back. He never meant for this to happen. He never meant for them to find us. The sudden realization was a small weight off of my chest.

"I'll do it myself," Glimmer snapped, notching an arrow and aiming at me. I caught Cato's eye again, pressing myself to the tree, well aware that his piercing blue eyes may be the last thing I ever see. I watched his expression turn to horror as Glimmer released the arrow. It sailed a good two feet from me. I breathed out a sigh of relief. She can't shoot. Thank God, she can't shoot. I let out a relieved laugh, which earned glares from the Careers.

"Nice shot, but you just missed that squirrel." I taunted her. Cato's lips twitched up in a small smile, and that little expression seemed to lighten his features incredibly. He really was good. You know, under all that bad. He turned a glare on Katniss, and grabbed the bow from Glimmer, notching an arrow himself.

"I'll do it myself," He snapped irritatedly while the other Careers hooted their support. The arrow sailed past Katniss' head without even grazing her.

"Maybe you should throw the sword," I grinned down at her jibe.

"Let's just wait them out," Peeta's voice of reason caused the grin to dissipate. The Careers turned their glares on him. "They have to come down at some point. It's either that or starve to death. We'll just kill her then," The Careers seemed to be considering. Or they could just move on? Maybe?

"Okay," Cato decided, glancing back up at me before shoving the bow into Glimmer's hands, "Somebody make a fire," He ordered, stalking away with Glimmer on his heels. Marvel and Clove walked off in the other direction, and Peeta left by himself. Katniss shifted, and I remembered everything that had happened so far.

"How's the leg?" I questioned, and earned a hiss of pain as a response.

"Hurts," She finally told me bluntly. Well, I would imagine it does. Katniss was beginning to get on my nerves a bit, but I knew it wasn't really her. It was this whole situation. I'm stuck in a stupid tree while Cato and the other Careers are off planning our demise. Cato cares. He cares about me, right? That small part of my brain was stomped on by the larger, more reasonable part that said, _he's just using you_. I sighed, and leaned my forehead against the rough bark; internal arguments are exhausting. I turned myself around, so I was leaning with my back on the tree and my feet stretched out in front of me. Katniss let out another hiss of pain, and I brought my hand up for inspection. There were flecks of bark in the wound that could lead to infection. I bit my lip to keep from crying out in pain as I jerked chips of the wood out of my wound with trembling fingers. I couldn't seem to steady my hand.

"Do you still have the iodine?" I asked Katniss, not looking forward to the answer.

"No, it must have fallen out when we were running. I'm using water," Her voice sounded strained with pain, and I felt a pang of sympathy for the younger girl. She was only sixteen. I was eighteen. I managed to remove another piece of bark with a sharp intake of breath. I got out my water bottle and, bracing it against in-between my knees, unscrewed it. I then poured a small amount over my open wound, biting down on the collar of my shirt in pain. I took deep, quivering breaths, and swallowed my pain, screwing the top of the water bottle back on and stuffing it in my bag. Trying to use my other hand as little as possible, I tied myself to the tree.

I hadn't realized I dozed off until I woke up shivering. Damn, it was cold out. Another shiver racked my body, and I searched for my sleeping bag. When I grabbed bag, I hissed as white hot pain shot up my hand. It was too dark to see the charred skin, but I guessed I didn't really want to. I looked down at the Careers, who had built a fire and were laying beside it. Marvel was the only one asleep. Cato was looking up at me, but quickly looked away when he met my eyes. He was holding his sword over the fire so the tip turned bright yellowish orange. He glanced up at me and spit on the tip causing me to roll my eyes and shake my head at him. He raised an eyebrow and smirked at me, and I couldn't help but smile at how the rolls had reversed. I used to be the one who raised an eyebrow at him. I mirrored his actions, causing him to laugh softly. It was a nice laugh, beautiful even. It was a genuine laugh that wasn't like the one's that I'd heard when he'd chased Katniss and I.

"What?" I heard Glimmer ask and could almost hear her pout.

"Nothing." Cato replied and then, "Whoever made this fire is an idiot. The biggest rock is supposed to go on the left, where the smoke is blowing." I was surprised at his knowledge. And here I was thinking all he knew how to do was wave a sword around. Well, that and look- No. Stop. He's just messing with your head. Trying to throw you off your game. You can't afford to fall for him.

"Oh," Glimmer spoke unconvinced, glancing up at the tree suspiciously. "Like this?" She made sure she leaned over Cato to switch the stones. Cato glanced at her in mild annoyance and shifted away. I felt a pang of what I think was anger in my stomach, but refused to acknowledge it. Instead, my gaze traveled from him to the others and landed on Clove, who, for once, wasn't glaring, but instead looking thoughtful. A small chime pulled me out of my observations and made me look up to see a small silver parachute coming down.

"Katniss," I hissed at her.

"I see it," She whispered back, untying herself from the tree and climbing to get the parachute. I heard her scuffle and shift position.

"Do you need help?" I asked her; my hands were already untying my rope.

"I got it," She muttered, coming down to sit on my branch. "It's medicine!" The relief in her voice was evident, and I sighed in gratitude for Haymitch. "Where are you burned?" She questioned, opening the medicine.

"You first, I'm fine." I told her, and she shrugged in agreement, applying the medicine to her thigh greedily.

"Oh, you also got this," She handed me a small piece of paper, and I had to shift so the light from the Careers fell on the paper.

Be careful with him, he does care for you -W+F

What do they mean, he does care for me? He can't. I shook it off and grinned at the sky, making a heart with my hands, knowing they'd get a kick out of that. My good hand brushed the pin in my hair, and my grin fell away as I took the medicine from Katniss. She left my branch and returned to her own as I applied the cream to my palm. It happens sometimes that when two tributes team up, so does their mentors and sponsors. I guess now was one of those times; I sighed in relief as the cool lotion worked on my hand. I passed the medicine back to Katniss and dozed off again.

"Psst," My eyes shot open, and I looked around, instantly alert. I felt more alive then I had since I'd been reaped. An experimental stretch of my hand showed the pain to be completely gone, leaving only pinkish skin in it's place. "Psst!" I looked up, my eyes scanning the direction the noise came from until they landed on a small, mocha colored tribute with large, dark eyes. Rue. She pointed to something above me, and I didn't like the worried look in her eyes. I craned my neck to see what she was pointing at, and my blood ran cold. There, almost directly above me, was a nest of tracker jackers. I glanced back at her to see her pointing down at the sleeping Careers below us. Oh. Oh, that was good. I untied myself, and saw Katniss' rope loosen as well.

"I'll do it," She told me, "I have a larger knife. It'll be faster," I nodded, but shouldered my pack and climbed near her anyway, just in case. She started sawing through the branch as fast as her position would allow. I braced myself to climb down, glancing down at the sleeping Careers. I felt that same pang of anger in my stomach when I saw Glimmer sleeping on Cato's arm. He shifted in his sleep, mumbling something, and moved away from her a bit. A small grin tugged at my mouth when I saw that.

"No one's moving, you're good," I whispered as quietly as I could, and Katniss nodded, continuing to saw. One flew in her face, and she shook her head to get rid of it. It stung her in the throat, and I winced as she hissed in pain, wanting to help, but knowing I couldn't really do anything about it. the branch was starting to bend as Katniss was stung in the wrist. Come on, just a little more and it'll be done. Another sting to the throat. They could die. I suddenly realized, glancing back down at the Careers. My eyes fell on Cato, who looked so peaceful sleeping there. He could die. I stiffened at the though, my eyes flicking back to Katniss, who was nearly done. I rummaged in my bag for something to throw. He deserved a fighting chance, didn't he? I found the water bottle and winced as I wondered if it was even worth it. Katniss was almost done sawing and I threw the water bottle down so it landed a couple yards away from the tributes. Cato jerked awake just as the nest fell on the unsuspecting Careers.


	10. Choices and Hallucinations

****Review and tell me what you think! The next chapter is going to be intense! Just giving you a fair warning. What did you think of the Haymitch section? I'm thinking of doing the beginning of each chapter through a different mentor, so review and give me input people! Thanks for reading!****

_Choices and Hallucinations_

Haymitch Abernathy shot up from the couch he'd fallen asleep on; sweat was dripping down his face, and he was breathing hard as if he'd just been running for his life. _Haymitch, help me!_ He blinked and looked around wildly for her. _Haymitch, please! HAYMITCH!_ He squeezed his eyes shut and focused on taking deep breaths. _Gorgeous, emerald eyes stared at him desperately, wide with fear._ He pressed his fingers to his temple and tried to will the images away. _Melody! Where are you taking her! Get off of her! MELODY!_ He groped around almost blindly for the alcohol. _Melody? What's happening?_ A smaller, frightened child's voice was now asking. His fingers finally wrapped around the smooth glass, and he raised it to his lips. The drink was ripped out of his hands. He blinked in surprise, looking up at the person that stood above him with her hands on her hips.

"And what do you think you're doing?" The annoyingly high-pitched voice of Effie snapped at him. "Katniss and Peeta need you!" He ignored her, grabbing the remote and turning on the screen hurriedly. It had been three days since the Games had started and so far nothing had happened to Katniss or Celeste, who had formed an alliance. The girl from 4 had been killed by Thresh the day earlier, so that was one less tribute for them to deal with. He remembered when she died, screaming for help as Thresh sliced her neck open with the scythe he'd managed to get from the Cornucopia. He had been with Finnick, Annie, Mags, and Whip when it had happened, and he almost felt bad for Finnick as he turned away in a guilty relief. Haymitch knew there were only a select few people Finnick really loved and would trust with his life. Annie, Mags, and Celeste. It was killing him. If she died, Haymitch wasn't so sure Finnick would stay sane. He was only twenty-two, after all. Haymitch gazed at the image of Celeste and Katniss walking through the thick forest.

"So, tell me about your sister," Celeste broke the silence between them causing Katniss to glance around cautiously.

"She is almost the exact opposite of me," Katniss finally started speaking in a low voice, in case another tribute was near. "She looks like my mom, has the same blonde hair. She has this cat that she rescued, and she calls it Buttercup. It's a ferocious, sorry excuse for a cat,"

"I gather it doesn't like you then," Celeste deduced with a grin, which Katniss reluctantly returned.

"Not very much, no. I tried to drown it when she first brought it home." Celeste laughed genuinely at that. "She also has a goat that she named Lady. At least she's useful," Katniss' grin dropped as she spoke and refocused on the arena. "My sister is a healer like my mother. She's going to grow up to be one of the best in 12." There was a small silence and then, "I taught her how to hunt once. Or tried to." Celeste gave a small laugh at her tone.

"What happened?" She questioned.

"She broke down in tears and tried to beg me to help the dying doe." Celeste laughed quietly at that. Then there was more silence and the screen changed to the Careers, who were currently hunting for food and setting up camp. Glimmer hadn't brought up Celeste to Cato anymore since that first night when Celeste had listened to them arguing about her. Haymitch felt uneasy about the boy. He didn't know what to think. On one hand, he could see that the boy was starting to develop feelings for her, but on the other hand, his training was making it hard for him to accept the feelings. When the canon went off for the 4 girl, Haymitch hadn't missed the way both Celeste's and Cato's heads had shot up or the look of worry in their eyes.

The hours passed quickly as Haymitch talked to Capital men and woman, trying to gain sponsors. It was sometime in the middle of the night now, approaching morning. The sponsors were there twenty four hours a day. The Capital never sleeps. There were four screens set up on the walls, each showing a different set of tributes. One showed the Careers and Peeta sleeping safely in their makeshift camp. The other showed Celeste and Katniss, each tied to a different tree, and both sleeping soundly. The one to Haymitch's right showed the boy from 10 keeping watch while the girl from 11 slept next to him. They had formed an alliance earlier that morning. The third screen was flicking through different solo tributes: Thresh, girl from 3, boy from 3, and the girl from 5. He had only bothered to learn the names of the lethal looking tributes. He glanced across the room and glimpsed a tired Whip talking to two rich looking men. Finnick, he knew, would be off sleeping with some high paying Capital woman, who he would probably try to convince to sponsor -

"CELESTE!" The scream caused everyone to jump in their seats. The volume had been cranked louder, so the soft noises of the night could be heard, which meant Katniss' scream was extra piercing. Haymitch's eyes snapped to the screen to see Celeste desperately untying herself and shoving her supplies into the the pack, shouldering it and beginning to climb down. His jaw clenched as her foot slipped, and she fell the rest of the way down. He winced as she let out a hiss of pain when her hand landed forcefully on a burning mushroom. Katniss pulled her to her feet by her jacket, and they were running through the forest. Haymitch's breath hitched as Katniss had to dive out of the way to avoid getting fried by a fireball. Celeste ran past her as she scrambled do her feet.

Haymitch stopped breathing entirely as Celeste skidded to a stop so abruptly that she fell backward, and a fireball shot so close to her face that, for a moment, Haymitch thought it had hit her. She sat there a bit stunned for a split second before shaking her head and jumping to her feet, running in another direction. Katniss and Celeste were separated now, but still close enough to meet up again. This alliance could be over before it really even started. Haymitch dismissed the thought almost as soon as he thought it; both the girls were too smart to let that happen. One screen showed Katniss jumping backwards as a tree fell in front of her while the other screen covered Celeste as she switched directions and shot toward where Katniss was running.

"Go!" Celeste's painful, hoarse cry tore at Haymitch's heart as he watched her follow Katniss, who was running parallel to the tree. Katniss was hit in the leg with a fireball, and the force of it threw her to the ground. She crawled backwards into the shelter of some boulders, trying to protect herself as Celeste ran towards her. Then, Celeste hesitated, glancing past Katniss and then back at her. Haymitch could see the internal struggle playing out across her face as she debated whether or not to leave Katniss. Her eyes caught something in the distance, and she screamed, "Katniss!" Grabbing Katniss' jacket and hauling her out of the way of the second fireball. They fell backward down a hill and almost as soon as they landed they were helping each other up and running again. Haymitch let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding as they made it safely to the water.

Then he heard the Careers. No, no, no. That couldn't be happening right now. The gamemakers had been pushing them right into the Careers. Celeste caught on first and had reached the bank when the Careers spotted them. She turned back to look at them, well, at him to be exact. Cato. The camera angle made sure to make their eye contact obvious, zooming in on Cato's shocked and horrified expression before zooming in on Celeste's scared, almost sad expression. Then, the moment was over, and Celeste pulled herself out of the water and was running faster than Haymitch had ever seen her run. She saw the tree and leapt onto it, scaling nimbly and reaching a branch near the top as Katniss started to climb. Katniss reached a branch a bit below her as the Careers reached the tree.

They hooted and hollered insults, and Cato attempted to climb the tree only to fall back down. Cato and Celeste made eye contact again as Glimmer shot an arrow…and missed. Haymitch's shoulders sagged with relief.

"Nice shot, but you just missed that squirrel," Celeste called down to them with a laugh of bravado. A couple capital people laughed and headed over to Whip. Haymitch's lips twitched at her jibe; she always did have spunk. Cato grabbed the bow and arrow in annoyance and shot at Katniss. Not Celeste, Haymitch couldn't help but notice.

"Maybe you should throw the sword," Katniss suggested; both girls grinning in relief.

"Let's just wait them out," Peeta's words froze Haymitch's blood. Damn boy, what are you doing? He reasoned with the Careers, and Cato finally agreed, leaving to make a camp. Two screens now showed the girls, one showed Katniss caring to her leg, and the other showed Celeste tending to her arm. Haymitch winced as Celeste jerked a particularly large splinter out of the raw flesh of her palm. She bit her lip and leaned her head back with a clear expression of pain. They had no iodine left, but they did have their water bottles. Celeste tied herself to the tree, and unscrewed the lid of her water bottle. She hissed in pain as she poured the water on. Her hand shook so much that she almost couldn't pour it. She took deep breaths in and out, mumbling to herself quietly as well as to Katniss, who was near tears with pain.

"You're okay. You're okay," She kept repeating, the pain all to evident in her voice. She screwed on the water bottle lid and shoved it in her bag. "You're alive. You're fine. You're okay," Haymitch's heart throbbed as she leaned her head back and squeezed her eyes shut. "You'll be okay. You'll be okay. You're okay,"

-Hunger Games-

An angry buzzing filled the air, and I winced as I felt one sting me in the shoulder, sending a sharp pain through my body. We needed to get out of the tree now. I started climbing down the tree hurriedly as Katniss fell past me, hitting the ground with a painful thud. She was scrambling up when I reached the ground. Glimmer's screams had filled the air as soon as the nest had been dropped on them. She was still running around screaming as the jackers stung her repeatedly. The rest of the Career tributes had split up and run off, all of them seeking water of some kind. I snatched up my water bottle and ran into the woods.

I'd run a good fifty yards before I realized Katniss wasn't behind me. In fact, no one was. I was alone. That's when the cannon sounded. I turned and sprinted back the way I'd come, but I didn't enter the clearing for fear of there being tracker jackers still waiting there. Instead, I stayed in the safety of the forest while I took in the scene in front of me. Katniss was leaning over Glimmer's dead body, struggling to pry her dead fingers off the bow. My stomach churned when I saw the once beautiful girl now grossly disfigured. I had never liked Glimmer, but no one deserved that. Katniss got the bow free and ripped the arrows off of her. She fingered the arrows feathers in surprise and vague wonder like she'd never seen something like them before. She was hallucinating, I realized. Or just disoriented. She'd gotten stung a good many times.

"Katniss!" Peeta's yell stopped me from running over to her. Instead, I took a step back and let the dagger drop out of my jacket sleeve and into my hand. I would kill him if he tried to kill Katniss. He was running out of the forest with his staff, but he looked so frightened that I lowered the knife I'd raised. "Katniss, what are you doing? Go! Katniss, run!" He yanked her to his feet and shoved her towards the safety of the forest. He wasn't lying about the crush thing then. Cato came running out of the forest behind Peeta, looking murderous. I involuntarily took a step back further into the shelter of the trees. Katniss ran off, well, really more like stumbled off into the woods as Peeta turned to face Cato, his jaw set in determination. He was going to die. Cato would kill him. Cato seemed to be feeling the affect of the sting's as well, but he was still deadly with a sword. His swing was sloppy but powerful. Peeta managed to block it with his staff.

I raised the knife again but stopped, breathing hard. I needed to kill him. I needed to kill Cato. This is what I've been doing right? I have been getting close to him, so he would spare me. So he would hesitate to kill me. And then I'd kill him. I tightened my grip on the knife, hearing Johanna's voice in my head telling me to end it now. Kill him, and I'd have a real shot at winning. Kill him, and I had a real shot at going home. Going back to Finnick and Haymitch and Johanna and Whip and all the others. An image of Finnick's haunted face after he'd been rescued from the arena flashed before my eyes. Annie's broken screams as she was rescued echoed in my ears. I lowered the knife, taking one step backward and then another. I couldn't do it. I just…I couldn't. My feet suddenly felt rooted to the spot. I couldn't leave either. What if Peeta killed him? I took a step forward when I heard Peeta's cry of pain. Cato had slashed him in the thigh, and Peeta was on the ground, unable to get up.

Instead of finishing him off, like I thought he would do, Cato stumbled backward. The full affects of the venom are starting to get to him, I realized and took another step forward. He caught my eye then. His eyes held confusion as he tilted his head sideways, looking at me with a certain longing mixed with fear. He took a unsteady step forward, and the sword fell from his loosened grip. His eyes became unfocused, and he fell to his knees. It was when his eyes rolled back in his head, and he passed out that I knew it was bad. However many times he was stung, it was bad. He could die if he didn't get the proper treatment, and I very much doubted the Careers knew what that was. A sudden dizziness came over me, and I leaned against a tree for support.

_"You know, Celeste," My eyes snapped around to find the source of the voice. There, my dad was stepping over Cato's limp body and heading for me. "Sometimes the Careers kill off their own," He gave a mocking laugh as he nudged Cato with his foot, looking down at him in disgust. I remembered this conversation. I had been eight at the time and he had been drunk, sitting in a chair by the fire telling me horrific stories about the Games, but not allowing me to excuse myself from his presence._

_ "Why?" I found myself saying, everything was blurring in and out of focus except him like I was looking through a magnifying glass and putting it closer and farther away from my father._

_ "Because healing the tribute would slow them down and waste their time, of course! Use your head, you stupid girl!" He let out another mocking laugh. His dark hair and light eyes making him look almost at home in the forest. He was wearing his peacekeeper outfit that he had used to work in. "The Careers call it a pity kill. The tributes dead anyway, so why not slash his, or her," He added with a withering look at me, "throat and hurry it along?" He kicked the unresponsive Cato a bit harshly, making me take a step forward and hold out my hand as if to stop him. He let out a third mocking laugh, and this one was harsher than the other two. "You always did have a horrendous taste in men, Celeste. You and Melody both. Haymitch," His face twisted into a sinister sneer that made his usually handsome face gruesome. "Good luck, Celeste," His fourth laugh was devoid of all emotion and send a shudder through me. "And may the odds be ever in your favor," He added with an ominous grin that contorted his face and made me quake in fear._

He was gone. I blinked rapidly and looked around to see Cato and I were alone. No ghostly pale image of my father laughing cruelly at me. No criticisms being flung into my face. The next thing I became aware of was I was on my hands and knees and had somehow crawled over to Cato. I lifted his shirt, and my stomach flipped sickeningly as I saw the purplish stings on his abdomen and chest. There must have been at least five if not more. He would definitely die if I didn't do something. I grabbed one of his arms and slung it over my shoulder, while wrapping one of my arms around his waist and dragging him into the woods.

With a sense of relief, I remembered the cave Katniss and I had passed not to long ago by the rocks. I needed to go to the rocks anyways to avoid leaving the obvious drag marks in the dirt. Cato groaned and mumbled something to distorted for me to hear, but he didn't wake. It was hard work, considering he was probably somewhere near one hundred eighty pounds of pure muscle. Judging by his abdomen and chest. I mentally stomped on that thought. No. I was just doing this…

Why was I doing this? If I really didn't have feelings for him, why was I dragging him along, desperately trying to save his life? He would be a useful ally in the future. If he owed me his life, that would be key in helping me win. That was it. That was all. I staggered onto the rocks, careful to avoid the slippery surfaces nearer to the water's edge. Finally, after thirty minutes of struggling, I reached the cave. The entrance was covered in vines and thick bushes, making it almost impossible to spot unless you knew what you were looking for. I peeked inside, making sure no one got here before me. No one had. I half dragged, half carried Cato inside and set him down near the back. He groaned again and shifted, his breath hitching in fear. I knew he was having nightmares due to the venom, and I found myself wanting to help him.

Knowing there was nothing I could do but heal the stings and hope he gets better, I exited the caves, drawing the vines and brush around the entrance to conceal the injured Career. I jogged back to where Katniss dropped the hive on the Careers. The jog only took ten minutes and along the way I stopped every so often to brush away the drag marks on the dirt. Peeta was gone when I got there. All that was left was his staff, Cato's sword, and a couple knives that Clove had dropped while they ran. I picked up the knives hurriedly; I was good with knives, and they'd be helpful, even if there were only five. Next, I picked up Cato's sword and Peeta's staff and walked back as stealthily as I could through the forest back to the caves.

When I reached the caves, Cato was shivering and pale. I dropped the stuff and slipped the knives through my belt so I would have them later. I left my pack by Cato's sword and knelt beside him, slipping off his jacket and lifting his shirt over his head, discarding both to the side. Oh. I tried not to stare at his perfectly sculpted chest and abs. Okay, focus, Celeste. You have to take out the stingers. I pulled out the stingers one by one until they were all out, including the one in my shoulder.

_"Come on, Cel," My head jerked up to see my mom kneeling by my side. Her dark hair was tied up in a ponytail like she used to when she was working. "Think. What do we put on stings?" I racked my brain for the answer. I'd been seven when this had happened. She'd been healing someone from the District we were staying in, 5, I think it had been. They'd been stung by a bee and had had an abnormal reaction to the sting. "You can do it, come on. Think."_

_ "Parsley," I whispered, knowing Panem must think I'm crazy right about now. I looked at her and she nodded, smiling at me with her dark green eyes shining with pride before disappearing just like my father._

I ran out of the cave and came back with ten leaves of the stuff. I chewed it, making a face at the bitter taste and then rubbed them on his stings. I was rewarded by his sigh of relief, even if he didn't wake. Did I even want him to wake? He'd probably kill me when he did. I rubbed the last of the chewed leaves onto my sting and my shoulders slumped with relief as the pain was relieved. I propped his chin up and checked his pulse to make sure it was steady, which to my relief it was. He was still shivering and pale, so I replaced his shirt and jacket on and managed to get him into my sleeping bag. I began to move away when his hand wrapped around my wrist, making me jump and grab one of the knives in my belt.

"Celeste," He mumbled my name, and I realized he was still sleeping. His grip relaxed as I slid it down so I was gripping his hand in mine. I felt the all too familiar flutter of my heart before I shook my head and got up. What was I doing? I was going to get myself killed. I glanced back at Cato and shook my head again.

"Way to go, Celeste. Save the guy who's trying to kill you," I muttered to myself, turning and leaving the cave. Cato would wake in a day or so, and, in the meantime, I needed to find Katniss.


End file.
